Complex compliance rules, proprietary product data
SPEL Products manufactures stormwater treatment and rainwater harvesting systems in the UK. Engineers specifying sustainable drainage (SuDS) need to show their treatment train meets the Simple Index Approach in the CIRIA SuDS Manual (C753).
Working that out by hand means cross-referencing hazard and mitigation tables, then matching the result to suitable products. SPEL wanted a tool that would guide engineers to a compliant train using SPEL products.
The tool also had to protect SPEL’s proprietary sizing data, and be the first in a family of calculators sharing the same look and feel.
A server-side engineering calculator built with SPEL’s engineers
- Implemented the C753 Simple Index Approach: catchment area and land-use risk level set the pollution hazard indices, and each treatment stage applies its mitigation indices.
- Built the sizing engine server-side in PHP behind a REST API, so SPEL’s proprietary product data never reaches the browser.
- Recommends SPEL products for each stage, including Smartceptor, ESR Full Flow and Bypass separators, modular SPELBasin units and flow-based SPELFilter models.
- Worked closely with SPEL’s engineers to confirm every rule before it was coded, including how mitigation applies across downstream stages.
- Generates a downloadable PDF report, emails submissions with attachments and keeps a log of every calculation as a lead record.
- Added an admin panel so SPEL can manage mitigation indices, risk descriptions, download links and supporting copy without code changes.
- Now extending the suite with a RainSave rainwater harvesting calculator that sizes tanks from roof area and occupancy, then guides filter, pump and delivery choices to an indicative model number.
Faster specification and better-qualified leads
Engineers can now produce an indicative, compliant treatment train in minutes, with a report they can share, while SPEL protects its data and captures qualified project leads.
The calculator has become the template for a growing suite of SPEL engineering tools.
