On paper, a project for pumping could appear simple enough: water needs to be pumped from one location to another. However, there are many factors that influence the distance between two points, which include elevation of the ground, flow rate solids, pressure storage capacity, and access for maintenance.
Romtec Utilities begin the development of a pumping station by defining the operating conditions rather than choosing equipment from an inventory. Design concepts and budgetary information are then developed based on what the actual requirements of the project are.
Image credit: romtecutilities.com
Start With One Question What’s the Next Step?
The engineering is changed immediately.
The flow of domestic sewage is subject to substantial fluctuations in the course of a day. A wastewater lift station needs to transfer the wastewater efficiently when gravity conveyance is inaccessible or is insufficient. Engineers need to take into account expected inflow, peak conditions and pumping capacities, wet well behaviour, discharge requirements and how the equipment will be operated and maintained.
Many challenges can be encountered by industrial water. A processing or manufacturing facility might need to move oily, caustic, high-temperature or high-pressure liquids. Romtec Utilities creates industrial systems which are used in various applications ranging from data centers, installations of oil and gas, food processing power generation, as well as pharmaceutical waste.
Rainfall can trigger a totally different operating pattern
Stormwater systems may be off the grid for extended periods, only to suddenly have to deal with large volumes during major storms.
A stormwater lift station linked with a detention basin for example, must be in sync alongside the drainage plan. The water that flows through the basin for detention, and the temporary storage system manages the immediate volume, and the pumping system moves the collected water to an authorized discharge point.
Romtec Utilities supplied this type of service for a commercial park development located in Norco, California. A pumping system was required to empty the detention basin and discharge it into the stormwater network. The station was planned to function as a part of the drainage system used by a developer rather than an individual part of the equipment.
The phrase “package” doesn’t have to be a reference to a shelf
A common misconception is that a package pumping system is simply a predetermined collection of components.
Packaging is a method to integrate the main elements of a system that is designed for a specific project. Valves and pumps are selected based on their job specifications.
It is particularly useful when connecting a new system to an existing infrastructure. In the case of industrial facilities and municipal structures, there’s not enough space or a complete clean environment for the installation. Equipment may have to be placed around existing piping, structures, electrical systems, and operating schedules.
Capacity planning has real consequences
The price of undersizing goes up when the facility grows.
Romtec Utilities supplied a sewer lift station in Portland International Airport for the PDX Next extension. The station was built to provide twice the peak-flow capacity of the prior system, as the airport facilities expanded.
This is a great illustration of a fundamental engineering concept: Design conditions must not be limited to the amount of work a facility is able to cope with on a typical afternoon. Engineers also have to be aware the impact of high demand.
The job isn’t done until the Equipment Shows Up
At time, drawings and calculations must become an operational system. Installation coordination and documentation are vital to long-term success.
A properly designed pumping device will ultimately be defined by what happens years after construction. The decisions made during initial design are apparent when the flow increases as major storms hit or a maintenance plan is necessary.
Romtec Utilities brings these two decisions together to provide a complete pumping solution for a particular project. It assists in transforming equipment into infrastructure that is specifically designed for the conditions for which it is employed.