On paper, a pumping project may seem simple: water needs to be pumped from one place to another. In reality there are a variety of variables that influence the distance between two locations which include elevation as well as flow rate solids, pressure storage capacity, and access to maintenance.
For Romtec Utilities, designing the pump station starts by setting the operating conditions, rather than choosing the appropriate an item from a catalogue. Preliminary designs and budgetary information can then be developed around what the project actually requires.
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Begin by asking the simple question: Where are we doing?
The engineering is immediately changed.
There are significant variations in the flow rate of household sewage. When gravity conveyance fails or is insufficient an wastewater lift station will be required to transfer the wastewater. Engineers therefore need to consider the anticipated inflow, peak conditions as well as pumping capacity, wet-well behavior, discharge requirements as well as how the facility will be operated and maintained.
Industrial water poses a variety of challenges. A processing or manufacturing facility could require moving high-temperature, caustic or oily or high-pressure fluids. Romtec Utilities designs industrial systems for applications that range from food processing and power generation to data centers, pharmaceutical waste, and oil and gas plants.
Rainfall can create a totally different operating system
Stormwater systems may for long periods be inactive and unable to handle activity and then face substantial volume during a storm.
For example, a stormwater lift station with a basin of detention must be compatible with the overall drainage plan for the site. The water that flows through the detention basin, where the temporary storage handles the immediate volume, while the pumping system moves the water collected to an authorized discharge point.
Romtec Utilities offered this type of solution to the Norco, California business park. This project needed a pumping device that would empty a reservoir into the stormwater network of the public. The station was therefore required to be constructed as part of the drainage infrastructure, not as a stand-alone piece of equipment.
Package Does Not Infer “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 refer to the fact that all of the main components are integrated into one system. Controls, pumps and meters, as well as structures and other equipment can be selected in accordance with the requirements of the project.
It is especially useful for connecting a new system to an existing infrastructure. In the case of industrial facilities and municipal buildings, there’s rarely any space at all or a totally clean space for installation. There may be a need to modify equipment in order to fit into existing structures, piping, electrical systems and schedules.
Capacity planning can have real-world consequences
The cost of undersizing rises as the size of the facility increases.
Romtec Utilities supplied a sewer lift station in Portland International Airport for the PDX Next extension. The new station needed be constructed to provide double the capacity of peak flow when the airport was expanded.
It demonstrates an important engineering principle: design conditions shouldn’t reflect only the way a facility is able to handle during a typical afternoon. Engineers must also know the impact of demand spikes.
The job isn’t finished until the equipment arrives.
At some point, drawings and calculations have to become an operational system. Coordination of installation and documentation are crucial to the long-term success of.
A properly designed pumping device is ultimately defined by what happens in the years following construction. When flows increase when a major storm hits or the equipment needs to be maintained, the decisions made during preliminary design become very visible.
Romtec Utilities integrates these options to offer a complete pumping solution for a specific project. It can help turn equipment into infrastructure designed specifically for the conditions that it will be utilized.