On paper, the process may seem simple: water is pumped into a different location. In reality the distance between these two points could be a matter of fluctuating flows, elevation changes and solids, pressure requirements storage capacity, electrical equipment, access to maintenance, and site restrictions.
Image credit: romtecutilities.com
For Romtec Utilities, designing a pump station begins by defining those operating conditions rather than selecting equipment from a standard catalog. The project specifications are used to design preliminary designs and budgetary data.
Consider: Where is our next destination?
The engineering is immediately changed.
There could be a significant fluctuation in the rate of flow of household sewage. When gravity conveyance is not working or is insufficient an wastewater lift station will be required to move the wastewater. Engineers should therefore take into consideration the expected flow, the conditions of peak the capacity of pumping, wet-well behavior, discharge requirements, and how the equipment will be operated and maintained.
The challenges of industrial water are diverse. Fluids that are oily, caustic or have high temperatures or pressures could be required by a processing or manufacturing facility. Romtec Utilities creates industrial systems that are utilized in applications that range from data centers to installations of oil and gas and food processing facilities power generation, as well as pharmaceutical waste.
Rainfall creates a completely different operating process
Stormwater systems are often inactive for long periods until they suddenly need to deal with massive volumes during a major storm.
A stormwater lift station associated with a detention basin for instance, should work in conjunction with the larger drainage strategy. The runoff is absorbed by the detention basin, where the temporary storage system manages immediately the volume and the pumping system moves the collected water to a discharge point that is approved.
Romtec Utilities supplied this type of solution for a company park development located in Norco, California. The plan called for a pumping station to empty a detention facility into the public stormwater drainage system. The station had to be planned as a part of the drainage infrastructure designed for the development, not as an independent piece of equipment.
Package Does Not Denote “Off the shelf”
A common misconception is that a pumping system for package pumps is merely a predetermined array of components.
Packaging can be used to coordinate the major elements of a system that is designed for a specific project. Meters, valves, pumps and controls, communications structural elements, and more equipment may be chosen based on the specific duty requirements.
It’s especially helpful when connecting a new system to the existing infrastructure. The industrial plants and the existing municipal facilities might not offer a large amount of space for installation or well-maintained conditions. It may be necessary to modify equipment in order to fit into existing structures, pipes as well as electrical systems and schedules.
Capacity planning has real consequences
As facilities expand over the years, undersizing can be very costly.
Romtec Utilities supplied a sewer lift station located at Portland International Airport for the PDX Next extension. The new station was required to be designed to accommodate twice the capacity for peak flow as the airport expanded.
This example illustrates a key engineering principle: Design specifications must not be limited by the limitations of what a building can be able to handle during an average afternoon. Engineers must know the conditions that occur during peak demand.
The Work isn’t Complete until the Equipment Shows Up
Calculations and drawings will eventually evolve into an operating system. Coordination of installation and documentation are essential to the success of the long term.
A well-engineered pumping system is ultimately defined by what happens in the years following the construction. The decisions made during initial design are obvious when flows increase, major storms arrive or maintenance is required.
Romtec Utilities blends these choices to create a complete pumping solution for a particular project. It can help turn equipment into infrastructure that is made specifically for the environment in which it will be utilized.