On paper, a pumping project may seem simple: water is required to be pumped from one area to another. In practice, distances between these two points may be affected by elevation variations as well as pressure requirements, solids, and other factors, as well as storage capacity, electrical equipment, restrictions on site and fluctuations in flow rates.

Romtec Utilities’ approach to design a pumping station is to first define the operational requirements. This is followed by selecting the equipment. Then, preliminary designs and budgetary requirements can be formulated according to what the requirements of the project are.

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The first step is to ask: What Are We Moving?

The result immediately alters the process of engineering.

The flow of wastewater in the domestic system is subject to substantial fluctuations in the course of a day. When gravity conveyance fails or isn’t sufficient, a wastewater lift station will be required to transfer the wastewater. Engineers therefore need to consider expected inflow, peak conditions the capacity of pumping, wet-well behavior, discharge requirements, as well as how the facility will be used and maintained.

The challenges of industrial water differ. A processing or manufacturing facility may require the movement of high-temperature, caustic or oily, or high-pressure fluids. Romtec Utilities creates industrial systems which are utilized in applications that range from data centers to installations for oil and gas and food processing facilities power generation, as well as pharmaceutical waste.

Rainfall can create a completely new operating system

Stormwater systems may be able to endure long periods of a lack of activity and then face substantial quantities during a hurricane.

A stormwater lift station that is connected with a detention basin, for instance, should work alongside the drainage plan. As the water flows into the basin and temporary storage manages the volume immediately, and the pumping system then moves the collected water towards an authorized discharge point.

Romtec Utilities supplied this type of solution for a company park development located in Norco, California. This project needed a pumping device to discharge a basin of detention into the stormwater system of the public. The station needed to be planned as a component of the drainage infrastructure that is part of the development, not as a separate piece equipment.

“Package Does Not Infer “Off the shelf”

A common misconception is that a package pumping system is simply a predetermined collection of components.

Packaging is a method to organize the primary elements into a system designed specifically for the project. Meters, valves, pumps control, communications, structural elements, and other equipment are able to be selected based on the requirements of the duty conditions.

That approach becomes especially useful in situations where a new system has to be connected to existing infrastructure. Industrial plants and municipal facilities may not provide ample area for installation or well-maintained conditions. There may be a need to modify equipment in order to fit into existing structures, pipes or electrical systems as well as schedules.

Capacity planning has real consequences

The cost of undersizing rises when the facility grows.

In Portland International Airport, Romtec Utilities created and installed an sewer interceptor lift station for the PDX Next expansion. The new station had to be designed to have twice the capacity at peak flow since the airport had expanded.

This is a key principle of engineering: the construction conditions must not just be a reflection of what the installation can handle during a typical afternoon. Engineers need to be aware of what happens when demand rises.

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 with startup and testing, documentation, and comprehension are all essential for long-term performance.

The time between construction and the success of an engineered pumping systems is determined. When flow rates increase or a storm of major magnitude arrives or equipment needs maintenance The decisions made during the initial design process become evident.

For Romtec Utilities, integrating those options into a project-specific pumping strategy helps transform each piece of equipment into infrastructure specifically designed for the conditions they’ll be confronted with.