Water management and safety ensured by modern technology made by VAG

The Aarbach Dam, which has been in operation since 1982, is located in the district of Paderborn in East Westphalia. It was built with the aim of fulfilling three key tasks: flood protection, long-term drinking water supply – even in periods with little rainfall – and the generation of renewable energy through hydropower. With a total reservoir capacity of 20.5 million cubic metres, it ranges among the most important dams of the region. The impounding reservoir with a length of up to 3 km and a width of maximum 1.5 km supplies more than 250,000 people with drinking water in the districts of Paderborn, Soest, Guetersloh and Warendorf.

The VAG RIKO^® Plunger Valves are the core elements for the control of the water volumes of the Aabach Dam. They assume a key role in its safe and reliable operation. In the course of the modernisation of the plant, six existing plunger valves DN 400 PN 10 were replaced by new, customised VAG RIKO^® Plunger Valves in the water treatment section that turns raw water into drinking water.

The new valves allow controlled and pressure-reduced regulation and offer a number of technical advantages: The valves can be continuously adjusted so that the water volume discharged can be precisely controlled. The sophisticated design of the RIKO^® with its control cylinders specifically selected for this project prevents cavitation during operation, which may cause damage to components and pipelines and inaccurate control of the water volumes. This also greatly increases the useful life of the plant.

The use of valve technologies made by VAG ensures maximum safety of operation, a long useful life and a precise control of the water volume discharged. The RIKO^® constitutes a key link between safe infrastructure and efficient water management – for the benefit of the population, the environment and the technical equipment of the plant.

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