On paper, the process may seem simple: water is then pumped to a different location. In actuality the distance between these two points can involve fluctuating flow rates, elevation variations, solids, pressure requirements storage capacity, control, electrical equipment, maintenance access and even site restrictions.

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Romtec Utilities begin the development of a pumping station by defining the operational conditions, rather than selecting the equipment from a catalog. The project’s requirements could be used to come up with sketches and budgetary details.

Start with a simple question: How are we moving?

The engineering is immediately modified.

There are significant variations in the flow rate of the domestic sewage. If gravity conveyance fails or is insufficient an wastewater lift station is needed to move the wastewater. Engineers need to consider the expected inflow and high-pressure conditions, pumping capacities and wet-well behavior, discharge specifications, and how equipment will be maintained and operated.

The difficulties of industrial water are different. The fluids used in manufacturing or processing facility might require caustic or oily, or heated with extreme temperatures or pressure. Romtec Utilities creates industrial systems which are used in various applications ranging from data centers to oil and gas installations Food processing, power generation, and pharmaceutical waste.

Rainfall can trigger a totally different operating system

Stormwater systems can be inactive for long stretches of time and then suddenly encounter the possibility of a huge volume in a storm.

A stormwater lift station associated with a detention basin, for example, must work with the site’s larger drainage strategy. When the runoff flows into the detention basin, the temporary storage manages the immediate volume, while the pumping system moves the collected water to an approved discharge point.

Romtec Utilities offered this type of solution to an Norco, California business park. The pumping equipment was needed to drain the detention basin and then discharge it into the stormwater system. The station was intended to work as a component of a development’s drainage system rather than an individual piece of equipment.

The term “package” doesn’t necessarily refer to off-the-shelf

A common misconception is that a system of pumping packages is merely a predetermined array of parts.

In the case of engineering infrastructure packaging may mean that all major components are coordinated into one system. Meters, pumps, valves control, communications, structural components, and other equipment can be selected around the necessary duty requirements.

It is particularly useful to connect a new system to the existing infrastructure. Industrial plants and existing municipal facilities may not have a lot of space for installation or clear conditions. The equipment could need to be adapted around existing structures, piping systems or electrical systems as well as operating schedules.

Capacity planning is a real issue

In particular, undersizing can be costly as facilities grow.

Romtec Utilities, a Portland International Airport utility company, developed and built a sewer interceptor lifting station for the PDX Next project. The new station was designed to increase the capacity at peak flows of the current system as airport facilities expand.

It illustrates an important engineering principle: design conditions should not just be what a building is able to handle during a typical afternoon. Engineers also have to be aware what happens during peak demand.

The job isn’t finished until the Equipment Arrives

At some point, calculations and drawings need to be transformed into an operating system. Coordination of installation, starting, testing documentation, and user understanding are all factors that contribute to long-term performance.

A properly designed pumping device is ultimately determined by what happens in the years following construction. The decisions made during beginning of the design are obvious when the pump needs to be maintained as flows rise or when a storm hits.

Romtec Utilities blends these choices to create a complete pumping solution for a specific project. It helps turn equipment into infrastructure that is specifically designed for the conditions that it will be utilized.