Pumping projects may seem simple on paper: water is introduced at one point and is required to move to another. However there are numerous factors that affect the distance between two locations which include elevation as well as flow rate, solids, pressure, storage capacity and maintenance access.

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For Romtec Utilities the process of designing a pump station starts with defining those operating conditions rather than selecting items from a standard catalog. After that, initial designs and budgetary details can be developed based on what the needs of the project.

Consider: Where is our next destination?

The engineering changes immediately.

The flow of domestic sewage can be subject to significant variations throughout the day. The wastewater lift station is required when gravity conveyance is not or will not function. Engineers must take into account the following factors: expected inflow and peak conditions, pumping capability, wet well behavior, discharge requirements and how equipment is maintained and operated.

The issues of industrial water differ. A manufacturing or processing facility may require the movement of high-temperature, caustic and oily or high-pressure fluids. Romtec Utilities designs systems for industrial applications, ranging from food processing to power generation, data centers, pharmaceutical waste facilities and gasoline and oil-based facilities.

Rainfall can create a completely new operating process

Stormwater systems are usually inactive for extended periods and then suddenly confront massive volumes during storms.

A stormwater lift station associated with a detention basin, for example, must work with the site’s larger drainage strategy. The runoff is absorbed into the basin. Temporary storage regulates the amount immediately. A pumping system then transports the water that is collected into an approved outlet.

Romtec Utilities provided this solution for the creation of a Norco business park in California. The pumping equipment was needed to empty the detention reservoir and then discharge it into the stormwater network. The station was planned to function as a part of a development’s drainage system and not as a separate piece of equipment.

The phrase “package” does not necessarily be a reference to a shelf

An erroneous belief is that a package pumping system is simply a predetermined collection of parts.

In the case of engineering infrastructure packaging can mean that all major components are linked into a system. Pumps, meters and controls and components for structural construction and equipment can be chosen according to the duty conditions.

That approach becomes especially useful when a new system must connect to existing infrastructure. Industrial plants and existing municipal facilities rarely offer unlimited space or completely clean installation conditions. Equipment may have to be placed within existing structures, piping, electrical systems, and operational schedules.

Capacity Planning Has Real Consequences

In particular, undersizing can be costly as facilities grow.

Romtec Utilities, a Portland International Airport utility company, designed and provided a sewer interceptor lifting station for the PDX Next project. The new station was required been designed to have twice the peak flow capacity since the airport had expanded.

It demonstrates a key engineering principle: design conditions should not reflect only the way a facility can handle on a normal afternoon. Engineers must also understand the impact of demand spikes.

The work isn’t complete until the Equipment is delivered

At time, drawings and calculations will need to be transformed into an operational system. Installation coordination with startup and testing, documentation and operator understanding are all important for the long-term performance.

What happens after the construction of a pumping device determines its quality. The choices made in the initial design are evident when the equipment requires maintenance flow increases or storms strike.

Romtec Utilities blends these choices to provide a complete pumping solution for a particular project. It assists in turning equipment into infrastructure designed specifically for the conditions where it is utilized.