On paper, it might seem simple: water is pumped to different location. In reality there are a myriad of factors that affect the distance between two points, including elevation of the ground, flow rate, solids, pressure, storage capacity, and access for maintenance.
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For Romtec Utilities, designing a pump station begins by defining those operating conditions rather than selecting equipment from a standard catalog. The preliminary designs and budgetary data can be created based on what the actual requirements of the project are.
Consider: Where is our next destination?
The engineering is immediately modified.
The flow of household sewage is subjected to significant variations throughout the day. A wastewater lift station has to transfer the wastewater efficiently whenever gravity conveyance isn’t available or insufficient. Engineers must be aware of the following aspects: expected flow as well as peak condition, pumping capability, wet well behavior, discharge requirements and how equipment is maintained and operated.
Industrial water has its own challenges. A processing or manufacturing facility may require moving high-temperature, caustic and oily or high-pressure liquids. Romtec Utilities designs industrial systems to support a variety of applications, from food processing and power generation to data centers pharmaceutical waste, oil and gas facilities.
Rainfall is a completely different operating environment
Stormwater systems could have long periods of time absorbing little activity and then face substantial quantities during a hurricane.
A stormwater pump station connected with a detention basin for instance, has to work within the overall drainage plan. The runoff is absorbed into the basin. Temporary storage is used to regulate the volume instantly. A pumping system moves the water collected to a designated outlet.
Romtec Utilities offered this type of solution to a Norco, California business park. The development needed an emptying pumping station a detention facility into the public stormwater drainage network. The station needed to be engineered as part of the drainage infrastructure, not as a stand-alone piece of equipment.
The word “package” does not have to be a reference to a shelf
It is a common misconception that a pumping mechanism for packages is merely a collection of components that are predetermined.
For engineered infrastructure, packaging could also mean coordinating the most important pieces of equipment into a project-specific system. Valve and pump components can be determined based on the duty specifications.
It is particularly useful when connecting a new system to the existing infrastructure. The industrial plants and the existing municipal facilities might not provide ample space for installation, or even in good condition. Equipment might need to be positioned around existing piping, structures as well as electrical systems and operating schedules.
Capacity planning is a real issue
The cost of undersizing is particularly high when facilities grow.
Romtec Utilities, a Portland International Airport utility company, has designed and constructed the sewer interceptor station for the PDX Next project. The new station was designed to increase the capacity of peak flow of the current system as airport facilities grow.
This illustration illustrates an important engineering principle: Design specifications should not be limited to the amount of work a facility is able to cope with on the typical afternoon. Engineers must also understand the impact of demand spikes.
The work isn’t complete until the Equipment arrives
At time, drawings and calculations will need to be transformed into an operational system. Installation coordination starting and testing, documentation and operator understanding are all crucial to ensure long-term success.
What happens after the construction of a pumping device determines its performance. The decisions taken during the initial design phase are evident as flows rise when major storms occur or when maintenance is needed.
Romtec Utilities blends these choices to provide a complete pumping solution for a particular project. It can help turn equipment into infrastructure that is made specifically for the environment in which it will be utilized.