Pumping projects may seem simple on paper. Water enters at one location and is required to move to another. In actuality the distance between these two points could be a matter of fluctuating flows, elevation changes as well as solids, pressure requirements storage capacity,, electrical equipment, maintenance access and site restrictions.

For Romtec Utilities, the design of a pump station starts with delineating the operational conditions instead of choosing equipment from a catalog. The project requirements are used to design sketches and budgetary details.

Image credit: romtecutilities.com

The first step is to ask How are We Moving?

The answer immediately changes the engineering.

The flow of domestic sewage can be subject to significant variations throughout the day. The wastewater lift station is needed when gravity conveyance is not or does not work. Engineers therefore need to consider expected inflow, peak conditions the capacity of pumping, wet-well behavior, discharge requirements and how the equipment will be operated and maintained.

There are a variety of challenges that arise with industrial water. Fluids that are oily, caustic or have high temperatures or pressures might be needed by a manufacturing or processing facility. Romtec Utilities designs systems for industrial applications ranging from food processing and power generation to data centers, pharmaceutical waste, oil and gasoline facilities.

Rainfall can trigger a totally distinct operating cycle

Stormwater systems could have long periods of time absorbing little activity and then face substantial amounts during a storm.

A stormwater liftstation associated with an existing detention basin should be able to work as part of the larger drainage plan of the area. The water that flows through the detention basin, where the temporary storage system manages immediately the volume and the pumping system moves the water collected to an approved discharge point.

Romtec Utilities provided this solution to develop a Norco business park in California. The development required a pumping station for emptying a detention system into the public stormwater drainage network. The station was to be planned as a part of the drainage infrastructure designed for the development, rather than as a separate piece equipment.

The word “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.

For infrastructure that is engineered, packaging could mean coordinating all the main components into a specific system for the project. Controls, pumps and meters along with the structural elements and other equipment can be chosen according to the duty conditions.

That approach becomes especially useful when a new system must connect with 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. Equipment may need to fit within existing structures, piping electric systems, as well as operational schedules.

Capacity Planning has real consequences

The cost of undersizing is particularly high when facilities grow.

Romtec Utilities, a Portland International Airport utility company, has designed and constructed an interceptor for sewers to the PDX Next project. The new station needed been designed to have double the capacity of peak flow since the airport had expanded.

This illustration illustrates an important engineering principle: Design conditions must not be limited to the capacity of a facility. cope with on a typical afternoon. Engineers also have to be aware what happens during high demand.

The Job Isn’t Finished When the Equipment arrives

At some point, drawings and calculations have to become an operational system. Documentation and coordination of installation are important to long-term success.

After a few years, the efficiency of engineered pumping system can be determined. When flow rates increase when a major storm hits or the equipment needs to be maintained The decisions made during the initial design phase become apparent.

Romtec Utilities combines these decisions into a pumping solution that is specific to the project. This allows us to transform each piece of equipment into a system designed to withstand the challenges they encounter.