On paper, it may seem straightforward: water is pumped to different location. However there are a myriad of factors that influence the distance between two points, which include elevation of the ground, flow rate, solids, pressure, storage capacity, and access to maintenance.
Romtec Utilities initiates the design of the pumping station by defining the operational conditions, rather than choosing equipment from catalogues. Initial designs and budgetary details are then developed based on the requirements of the project.
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Begin by asking the simple question: How are we moving?
The technology is updated immediately.
The flow of household sewage is subjected to significant fluctuations throughout the day. The wastewater lift station is necessary when gravity conveyance cannot or is not working. Engineers therefore need to consider expected inflow, peak conditions, pumping capacity, wet-well behaviour, discharge requirements as well as how the facility will be used and maintained.
The challenges of industrial water are different. Fluids that are oily, caustic or that have high temperatures or pressures could be needed by a manufacturing or processing facility. Romtec Utilities creates industrial systems that are used in applications ranging from data centers, oil and gas installations, food processing power generation, pharmaceutical waste.
Rainfall is the cause of a totally different Operating Cycle
Stormwater systems are often inactive for prolonged periods of time and then suddenly encounter a large volume during the course of a storm.
A stormwater lift station that is connected with a detention basin for instance, should work within the overall drainage plan. The runoff is absorbed by the detention basin, where the temporary storage handles the immediate volume, while the pumping system transports the water collected to an authorized discharge point.
Romtec Utilities supplied this type of solution for a business park development located in Norco, California. The development required a pumping station for emptying a detention facility into the public stormwater drainage system. The station needed to be planned as a part of the drainage infrastructure designed for the development, rather than as a separate piece equipment.
“Package” Doesn’t have to Mean Off-the-Shelf
A common misconception is that a package pumping system is simply a predetermined collection of components.
In the case of engineering infrastructure packaging could mean that the entire system of components are coordinated into one system. The valves and pumps can be selected according to their duty requirements.
This strategy is especially useful in situations where the new system has to be linked with an existing infrastructure. In industrial plants and municipal structures, there’s not unlimited space available or a perfect environment to install. It may be necessary to adapt equipment around existing structures, pipes as well as electrical systems and schedules.
Capacity Planning has real consequences
In particular, undersizing can be costly as facilities grow.
Romtec Utilities supplied a sewer lift station at Portland International Airport for the PDX Next extension. The new station is planned to increase the capacity of peak flow of the existing system when airport facilities expand.
This illustration illustrates an important engineering principle: Design conditions are not limited to the amount of work a facility is able to handle on the typical afternoon. Engineers must know what happens when demand is high.
The work isn’t over when the equipment arrives
Drawings and calculations eventually evolve into an operating system. The coordination of installations and the documentation are vital to long-term success.
A properly designed pumping system is ultimately defined by the events that occur after the construction. The decisions made in the initial design are evident whenever equipment needs maintenance, flows increase or a storm hits.
Romtec Utilities integrates these choices into a solution for pumping that is specific to the project. This allows us to transform each piece of equipment into a system designed for the conditions they will encounter.