Pumping projects can seem simple on paper: water enters at one location and needs to reach another. In reality the distance between these two points may be subject to changing rate of flow, elevation differences, solids, pressure requirements, storage capacity, control electric equipment, maintenance access and site restrictions.
Romtec Utilities initiates the design of the pumping station with defining these operational conditions, instead of selecting equipment from an inventory. The project specifications are used to design sketches and budgetary details.
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Begin by asking the simple question: What direction are we doing?
The technology changes instantly.
There are significant variations in the rate of flow of domestic sewage. A wastewater lift station must move that wastewater reliably when gravity conveyance is unavailable or insufficient. Engineers should take into account the following aspects: expected flow, peak condition, pumping capability, wet well behavior, discharge requirements and how equipment is operated and maintained.
There are a variety of challenges that arise with industrial water. Processing or manufacturing facilities may require the movement of high-temperature, caustic or oily or high-pressure liquids. Romtec Utilities designs systems for industrial applications ranging from food processing and power generation to data centers, pharmaceutical waste and petroleum and gas facilities.
Rainfall has a totally different operating cycle
Stormwater systems are usually inactive for long stretches of time but then suddenly they face a large volume during the course of a storm.
A stormwater pumping station that is part of a detention basin has to in particular, function in conjunction with the bigger drainage plan of the area. The runoff is absorbed by the detention basin, the temporary storage manages the immediate volume, and the pumping system moves the water collected to an approved discharge point.
Romtec Utilities provided this solution for the development of an Norco business park in California. The project required a pumping system to drain a detention basin into the public stormwater system. The station was designed to work as part of the drainage system for a particular development, not as an isolated part of the equipment.
“Package” Doesn’t have to mean Off-the-Shelf
Many people believe that a package-pumping system is simply a predetermined set of components.
Packaging can be used to coordinate the major elements of a system that is designed for a specific project. Controls, pumps and meters, as well as structures and other equipment, are able to be picked depending on the conditions of use.
This is especially beneficial when the system is required to be connected with an existing infrastructure. Industrial facilities and municipal facilities may not have a lot of space for installation or well-maintained conditions. Equipment may need to be adapted around existing structures, piping systems, electrical system, and operating schedules.
Capacity planning can have real-world consequences
If facilities grow and expand, undersizing is a major expense.
At Portland International Airport, Romtec Utilities provided a sewer interceptor lift station to support the PDX Next expansion. The new station was developed to double the peak-flow capability of the existing system, because airport facilities are expanding.
This example illustrates a key engineering principle: Design conditions are not limited by the limitations of what a building can handle on an average afternoon. Engineers should also be aware of what happens when demand is at its highest.
The job isn’t done until the Equipment arrives
At some point, calculations and drawings need to be transformed into an operating system. Coordination of installation and documentation are important to long-term success.
In the years following construction, the success of an engineered pumping system is measured. The decisions made during initial design are clearly visible whenever equipment needs maintenance flow increases or an event occurs.
Romtec Utilities integrates these choices into a pumping service which is unique to a specific project. This helps transform individual equipment into an infrastructure built for the specific conditions it will be confronted with.