On paper, it may seem straightforward: water is pumped into a different location. In reality, there are many factors that affect the distance between two locations including: elevation, flow rate, solids, pressure, storage capacity and maintenance access.

For Romtec Utilities the process of designing an infrastructure for pumping begins with specifying the operational conditions rather than choosing the appropriate items from a standard catalog. Initial designs and budgetary details are then developed based on what the project will actually require.

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Start With One Question How are We Moving?

The engineering is immediately changed.

Domestic sewage can contain solids, and can experience a variety of variations in daily flow. A wastewater lift station must move that wastewater reliably when gravity conveyance is unavailable or insufficient. Engineers must take into account the following aspects: expected flow as well as peak condition, pumping capacity, behavior of the wet well, discharge requirements and how equipment is maintained and operated.

Industrial water is a subject that presents a range of difficulties. The fluids used in a manufacturing or processing plant may need to be caustic, oily, or heated to extreme temperatures or pressure. Romtec Utilities creates industrial systems that are utilized in applications ranging from data centers to installations for oil and gas and food processing facilities, power generation, and pharmaceutical waste.

Rainfall has a completely distinct Operating Cycle

Stormwater systems may be off the grid for long periods of time but then suddenly they have to deal with large volumes during major storms.

For example, a stormwater lift station that is associated with a detention basin is required to be in line with the drainage plan of the site. The runoff is absorbed by the detention basin. The temporary storage is responsible for immediately the volume and the pumping system transports the water collected to an authorized discharge point.

Romtec Utilities provided this solution for the creation of an Norco business park in California. The plan called for a pumping station to empty an existing detention system into the stormwater drainage system of the public. This station had to be constructed as part of the drainage infrastructure instead of being viewed as an isolated piece of equipment.

“Package” Doesn’t need to Be Off-the-Shelf

Many believe that a package-pumping system is merely a predetermined collection of parts.

In the scenario of engineered infrastructures, packaging could be a way of ensuring that all the major components are linked into a system. Valves and pumps are selected according to their duty requirements.

This strategy is particularly beneficial when a new system must connect to existing infrastructure. In municipal and industrial structures, there’s not enough space or a complete clean environment for the installation. There may be a need to adjust equipment around existing structures, piping, electrical systems and schedules.

The Real Costs of Capacity Planning

In particular, undersizing can be costly as facilities expand.

In Portland International Airport, Romtec Utilities designed and supplied a sewer interceptor lift station for the PDX Next expansion. The new station was required been designed to have double the capacity of peak flow because the airport has grown.

This is a key principle of engineering: the designs should not simply represent what an installation does in an average afternoon. Engineers need to be aware of what happens when demand peaks.

The job isn’t finished when the equipment arrives

Eventually, drawings and calculations have to become an operating system. Installation coordination and documentation are vital to long-term success.

A well-engineered pumping system is ultimately defined by the events that occur after the construction. When flow rates increase or a major storm occurs or equipment needs maintenance the decisions made in preliminary design are evident.

For Romtec Utilities, integrating these options into a project-specific pumping system helps transform parts of equipment into infrastructure designed for the conditions it will actually face.