Glenrothes, Tullis Russell & Co, Water Filtration Plant

This water filtration plant was completed in 1962. This cleaned river water and recycled water for use in the paper making process. There were 18 settling tanks and six filtration tanks (which contained a nylon cone) on site fed by a 24 inch pipe. This pipe fed treated River Leven water taken from a reservoir on site (which contained water which was then pumped to the screen houses on site where debris removed).

After the water fro the Tullis Russell reservoir was pumped to the filtration tanks as required. Each of the six filtration tanks contained three layers of gravel of differing sizes. The gravel in the filtration tank would be cleaned by emptying its contents to 10%. The tank's air scour valve was opened agitating the water by forcing air though the gravel. This forced contaminants (such as alum which was added to the water to purify it elsewhere) into a channel that ran parallel with the main building. This air scoured water was then screened and settled for reuse in the 18 smaller settling tanks adjacent.

Water was then pumped into the filtration tanks from the 24 inch pipe through guttering below the walkways on site. The water would filter down through the gravel and sand filters into the filtered water basin through outlets (4 inchs in diameter). This filtered water was then sent to the processing areas and papermaking machines.

The air scour valve would again be opened up to force air through the air pipe visible in the middle of the tank to agitate the water (10% water left in the tank). Again any contaminants flowed into the waste trough by the main building wall. All six filtration tanks were used an cleaned each day by the full time operator.

The Control Room again dates from 1962 with some later additions. Most of the control panel equipment was by 'Belmos'. This is for where all the pumps were operated.

Informatin from HES (MMD), 08 October 2015.