Quality products with low-cost efficiencies reign supreme in the environmental marketplace. When a major pork producer sought cost-effective pumping solutions to improve its wastewater system, they found an above-grade lift station that delivered true savings.
Oldham’s, LLC, located in Holton, Kan., at one point served as a joint venture between two of the country’s top agribusiness corporations, featuring top seven rankings in hog production, pork processing and sausage production. The facility employs more than 160 people and boasts both slaughtering and processing capabilities of up to 600 heads daily. In 2005, owners developed plans with HDR Engineering to expand the existing wastewater treatment facility. The project would provide further effluent clarification following treatment from four aeration ponds. An important step in the expansion required pumping aeration pond effluent nearly 80 ft away and 18 ft uphill to a new 50,000 gal clarifier.
Representative Dan Batliner of the Ray Lindsey Company, Belton, Mo., stepped in and highlighted the advantages of the Smith & Loveless Formula X Mounted Pump Station (WWMPS) approach. Batliner reviewed its capability against the self-priming specification and the dollars that would be saved at installation and through long-term operation.
The cornerstone of the pump station is that it provides the lowest proven cost of ownership throughout its life. This stems from several design attributes. Most noticeable is the above-grade location of all station equipment, including pumps, valves and controls, in a compact arrangement above the wet well. This design allows quick and safe inspection while eliminating any confined space issues with routine maintenance.
The durable, high-efficiency pumps draw less power than alternate pumping schemes while vertical pump construction design promotes typical service life of 25-plus years and easy routine maintenance. This includes exclusive traits like oversized stainless steel pump shafts (with minimum overhang), oversized bearings, bronze seal housing, premium efficiency motors with Class F insulation and trimmed impellers inside the shrouds.
Additionally, it is easy to remove the entire rotating assembly. Removing eight capscrews connecting the motor adapter to the volute facilitates full access to the volute and suction elbow—meaning staff can perform virtually all pump maintenance and repairs on site without using outside contractors or expensive pump maintenance centers.
In this case, the end-user saved 14% in equipment costs, resulting in additional thousands of dollars. Over time, more money will be saved because at the design conditions (460 gpm at 22 in. TDH max.), Smith & Loveless vacuum-prime pumps deliver 15% more pump efficiency than the self-priming pump originally specified.
Every station is constructed in a quality-controlled environment and shipped to the job site ready to go. Before shipment, completed stations receive factory testing and performance certification. Extensive pump station test facilities replicate actual pumping conditions, including suction lift for vacuum-primed stations, and deliver precise data to the customer. Once the station arrives at the job site, installation typically requires less than one day.
