On paper, it could seem simple: water is pumped to different location. In real life, the distance between those two points may be subject to shifting flow rates, elevation differences and solids, pressure requirements, storage capacity, control electric equipment, access to maintenance, and site restrictions.

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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 then be developed around the requirements of the project.

You should ask yourself: Where do we go?

The answer immediately changes the technology.

The flow of wastewater in the domestic system is subject to significant variations throughout the day. If gravity conveyance fails, or is not enough, a wastewater lift station is needed to move the wastewater. Engineers must consider the expected inflow and peak conditions, pumping capacities as well as wet-well behaviour and discharge requirements, as well as the manner in which the equipment is maintained and operated.

Industrial water has its own challenges. Fluids that are caustic or oily or that have high temperatures or pressures may be needed by a processing or manufacturing facility. Romtec Utilities creates industrial systems which are utilized in applications that range from data centers to installations of oil and gas, food processing power generation, as well as pharmaceutical waste.

Rainfall is a completely different operating process

Stormwater systems may be able to endure long periods of a lack of activities, only to face huge quantities during a hurricane.

A stormwater liftstation associated with an detention basin must be able to work alongside the overall drainage plan of the site. The basin is filled with runoff temporary storage is responsible for the volume immediately, and the pumping system moves the water collected towards an approved discharge point.

Romtec Utilities supplied this type of solution for a company park in Norco, California. The pumping equipment was needed to empty the detention basin and discharge it into the stormwater system. The station was intended to work as a component of a development’s drainage system, not as an isolated piece of equipment.

“Package” Doesn’t have to be Off-the-Shelf

It is a common misconception that a pumping mechanism for packages is just a collection of components that are predetermined.

In the case of engineered infrastructure packaging may mean that the entire system of components are linked into a system. Pumps, meters and controls, as well as components for structural construction and equipment can be chosen depending on the needs of the.

That approach becomes especially useful in situations where a new system has to be connected to existing infrastructure. Industrial plants and existing municipal facilities rarely offer unlimited space or completely clean installation conditions. Equipment may need to be built around existing structures, piping systems as well as electrical systems, and operating schedules.

Capacity planning has real consequences

If facilities grow in size, undersizing becomes a significant expense.

In Portland International Airport, Romtec Utilities developed and built the sewer interceptor lift station to support the PDX Next expansion. The new station had been designed to have twice the capacity for peak flow when the airport was expanded.

This example illustrates a key engineering concept: Design conditions shouldn’t be restricted to the amount of work a facility is able to cope with on the typical afternoon. Engineers must know what happens during peak demand.

The Work isn’t Done until the Equipment Arrives

At time, drawings and calculations must become an operational system. Documentation and coordination of installation are vital to long-term success.

What happens after the building of a pumping device determines the quality of the system. When flows increase when a major storm hits or equipment needs maintenance the choices made during the initial design phase become apparent.

For Romtec Utilities to integrate those options into a project-specific pumping solution helps turn each piece of equipment into infrastructure that is designed to meet the demands they’ll be confronted with.