On paper, the process may appear simple: the water is pumped to different location. In actuality, the distance between those two points may be subject to changing flow rates, elevation variations in solids, pressure demands, storage capacity,, electrical equipment, access to maintenance and even site restrictions.
Romtec Utilities’ approach to developing a pump station is to first define the operational requirements. This is followed by selecting the equipment. Preliminary designs and budgetary information can be created based on what the actual requirements of the project are.
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Consider: Where is our next destination?
The design is instantly changed.
Domestic sewage is often contaminated with solids and may experience significant fluctuations in daily flow. If gravity conveyance fails or isn’t sufficient or not sufficient, a wastewater lift facility will be required to move the wastewater. Engineers therefore need to consider the anticipated inflow, peak conditions the capacity of pumping, wet-well behavior, discharge requirements, and how the equipment will be used and maintained.
Different challenges are presented by industrial water. The water used in a manufacturing or processing facility might require caustic or oily, or heated to extreme temperatures or pressure. Romtec Utilities designs systems for industrial applications, ranging from food processing and power generation to databases, pharmaceutical waste facilities and oil and gasoline facilities.
Rainfall is a completely different operating cycle
Stormwater systems are usually inactive for prolonged periods of time and then suddenly face massive volumes during the course of a storm.
A stormwater lift station linked with a detention basin, for example, must be in sync in conjunction with the larger drainage strategy. The water that flows into the basin. Temporary storage is used to regulate the amount immediately. The pumping system transfers the water into an approved outlet.
Romtec Utilities provided this solution to help develop a Norco business park in California. The project called for the construction of a pumping station that would empty a detention facility into the public stormwater drainage system. The station needed to be engineered as part of the drainage infrastructure instead of being viewed as an isolated piece of equipment.
“Package” Doesn’t Need to Mean Off-the-Shelf
A common misconception is that a package pumping system is simply a predetermined collection of components.
In the scenario of engineered infrastructures packaging can be a way of ensuring that all the major components are linked into a system. Pumps and valves can be selected based on their job requirements.
This is especially beneficial when the new system needs to be linked with an existing infrastructure. Industrial plants and existing municipal facilities do not always offer a large amount of space for installation or clean conditions. Equipment could need to be fitted around existing piping, structures or electrical systems as well as operational plans.
The Real Costs of Capacity Planning
In particular, undersizing can be costly as facilities expand.
Romtec Utilities supplied a sewer lift station in Portland International Airport for the PDX Next extension. The new station was designed to increase the capacity of peak flow of the existing system as airport facilities grow.
This case illustrates a fundamental engineering principal: Design conditions must not be limited to what a facility can manage on the typical afternoon. Engineers need to know what happens at peak demand.
The job isn’t done until the Equipment Arrives
Then, drawings and calculations must be converted into an operating system. Coordination of installation, starting, testing, documentation, and operator understanding all contribute to the long-term success of.
What happens after the building of a pumping device determines its performance. The decisions made during initial design are evident whenever equipment needs maintenance and flows increase, or an event occurs.
For Romtec Utilities, integrating these decisions into a complete specific pumping program helps turn the equipment pieces into an infrastructure that is designed to meet the demands it’s likely to encounter.