On paper, the process may appear simple: the water is pumped into a different location. In practice the distance between these two points can be affected by changes in flow rates, elevation differences in solids, pressure demands, storage capacity, controls electric equipment, maintenance access, and site restrictions.
Romtec Utilities begins the design of the pumping station with defining these operating conditions, instead of choosing the equipment from the catalog. Design concepts and budgetary information can then be developed around the requirements of the project.
Image credit: romtecutilities.com
Start by asking a simple question: What are we doing?
The solution immediately alters the technology.
Domestic sewage can contain solids and experience significant variations in flow. A wastewater lift station must move that wastewater reliably when gravity conveyance is unavailable or insufficient. Engineers need to take into account the following factors: expected inflow and peak conditions, pumping capacity, behavior of the wet well as well as the way in which equipment is maintained and operated.
The issues of industrial water are various. The fluids utilized in a processing or manufacturing facility may need to be caustic, oily, or heated at extreme temperatures or pressure. Romtec Utilities designs industrial systems that can be used for everything from food processing and power generation to data centers pharmaceutical waste, oil and gas plants.
Rainfall has a completely distinct Operating Cycle
Stormwater systems could have long periods of time absorbing little activity, but then they can face massive volumes during a storm.
A stormwater pump station connected with a detention basin for instance, has to work in conjunction with the larger drainage plan. When the basin fills up and temporary storage manages the immediate volume, and a pumping system moves the water that is collected to an approved discharge point.
Romtec Utilities provided this solution for the creation of an Norco business park in California. The project required a pumping system to drain a detention basin into the stormwater network of the public. The station was been designed to function as part of the drainage infrastructure for the development, not as a separate piece of equipment.
The term “package” doesn’t have to mean off-the-shelf
An erroneous belief is that a system of pumping packages is merely a predetermined set of parts.
Packaging is a method to coordinate the major components into a project-specific system. Pumps and valves can be determined based on the duty requirements.
This strategy is particularly beneficial when a new system must connect with existing infrastructure. In municipal and industrial buildings, there is rarely unlimited space available or a totally clean space for installation. There may be a need to adjust equipment around existing structures, pipes, electrical systems and schedules.
Capacity planning can have real-world consequences
If facilities are growing over the years, undersizing can be very costly.
At Portland International Airport, Romtec Utilities created and installed an sewer interceptor lift station for the PDX Next expansion. The station was developed to provide double the peak flow capacity of the existing system, as the airport facilities expanded.
This illustration illustrates an important engineering concept: Design conditions are not limited to what a facility can manage on the typical afternoon. Engineers should also understand what happens during peak demand.
The job isn’t done until the Equipment Shows Up
Calculations and drawings will eventually evolve into an operating system. The coordination of installations and the documentation are vital to long-term success.
The outcome after the creation of a pumping system determines its performance. The decisions made during initial design are clear when the pump needs to be maintained, flows increase or an event occurs.
For Romtec Utilities, integrating those decisions into a complete project-specific pumping strategy helps transform each piece of equipment into infrastructure designed to handle the conditions they will be facing.
