Wet Wells, Controls, Pumps, and Valves: How a Lift Station Works as One System

On paper, it could seem simple: water is pumped to different location. In real life the distance between those two points can be affected by changes in flow rates, elevation variations in solids, pressure demands, storage capacity, electrical equipment, maintenance access and even site restrictions.

Romtec Utilities begins the design of an pumping station by delineating these operating conditions, instead of choosing the equipment from catalogues. Then, preliminary design and budgetary details could be formulated according to what the requirements of the project are.

Image credit: romtecutilities.com

Ask yourself: Where do we go?

The engineering changes immediately.

There could be a significant fluctuation in the flow rate of domestic sewage. A wastewater lift station must move that wastewater reliably when gravity conveyance is unavailable or insufficient. Engineers must consider the following aspects: expected flow and peak conditions, pumping capacity, behavior of the wet well, discharge requirements and how equipment is maintained and operated.

The challenges of industrial water are various. A processing or manufacturing facility may require moving high-temperature, caustic or oily, or high-pressure fluids. Romtec Utilities creates industrial systems that are used in applications that range from data centers to oil and gas installations as well as food processing power generation, as well as pharmaceutical waste.

Rainfall has a completely distinct Operating Cycle

Stormwater systems can be inactive for long periods of time and then suddenly confront massive volumes during the course of a storm.

A stormwater pumping station that is part of an detention basin must, for instance, work in conjunction with the larger drainage plan for the site. The basin is filled with runoff temporary storage is responsible for the volume immediately and the pumping system moves the water that is collected to an approved discharge point.

Romtec Utilities supplied this type of service for a commercial park located in Norco, California. The project required a pumping system to discharge a basin of detention into the public stormwater network. The station was planned to function as a part of a drainage system in a development rather than as an independent piece of equipment.

“Package” Doesn’t Infer “Off the Shelf”

A lot of people think that a system for pumping packages is simply a predetermined set of components.

Packaging is a method to organize the primary components of a particular project. Meters, valves, pumps control, communications, structural components, and other equipment can be selected around the required duty conditions.

It’s especially helpful to connect a new system to the existing infrastructure. Industrial plants and existing municipal facilities may not provide a lot of space to install or maintain clean conditions. The equipment might need to be adjusted around existing piping systems, structures as well as electrical systems, and operating schedules.

Capacity planning has real consequences.

The cost of undersizing increases as the size of the facility increases.

Romtec Utilities supplied a sewer lift station located at Portland International Airport for the PDX Next extension. The new station was developed to increase the capacity at peak flows of the existing system because airport facilities are expanding.

This is a key aspect of engineering: construction conditions must not just represent what an installation does in an average afternoon. Engineers also have to be aware what happens during the times of peak demand.

The job isn’t finished until the Equipment Arrives

Drawings and calculations will eventually turn into an operating system. Coordination of installation, starting testing, documentation, and operator comprehension all play a role in the long-term success of.

After a few years, the efficiency of engineered pumping system is measured. The decisions made in the preliminary design are very evident when the flow increases when major storms occur, or maintenance is required.

Romtec Utilities integrates these choices into a solution for pumping which is unique to a project. This can help transform individual equipment into an infrastructure designed for the specific conditions it will be confronted with.

Scroll to Top