The city of Montmorillon, France’s pumping station is located in a busy urban area downstream from a retirement home. In addition to managing a heavy flow of wastewater, the station also takes in storm water, often including large quantities of solids, which led to frequent clogging issues. Positioned 8.5 meters below ground level, the pumps were awkward for operators to access and unclog. As a result, in 2012, the station operators commissioned Xylem to develop a sustainable solution to these frequent and costly clogging issues.
Successful Trial Run
In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of its Flygt Experior wastewater transport system, the Xylem team replaced one of the two pumps at the station with a Flygt Adaptive-N pump with a power capability of 5.9 kW. Flygt Experior combines hydraulics, efficiency motors and intelligent controls to deliver reliability, efficiency and simplicity. The system is specifically designed for wastewater pumping stations and delivers efficient, trouble-free pumping.
The new pump immediately improved the reliability of the station by reducing the pressure on the second pump, and as a result, maintenance call outs were reduced dramatically from three interventions per week to approximately one visit every two months.
In light of these results, the station operators agreed to have the second pump replaced with Flygt N-technology. In addition, Xylem’s Flygt SmartRun intelligent pump controller was incorporated into the system to ensure optimum operation.
Easy to install and operate, SmartRun is an advanced pump monitoring system featuring pre-programmed cleaning functions to remove oil, grease and other floating pollutants from the surface of the wastewater. This supports the maintenance of a clean sump and significantly reduces the need for emergency call outs.
“Since the installation of Flygt Experior we no longer have any clogging issues and do not have to intervene unintentionally at the station,” said Denis Bernard, manager of water and sanitation for the city of Montmorillon. “In addition, the sump is much cleaner than before, significantly reducing the number of cleaning and drainage operations that are necessary. This has had a very positive impact on the cost of running the station.”
Minimizing Maintenance
The Flygt Experior system has transformed the pumping station into a reliable, trouble-free facility with a significantly reduced risk of sewage overflow into the nearby river. It also boasts a minimum requirement for manual intervention. Operating personnel no longer are exposed to potentially hazardous maintenance situations. In addition, the 140 maintenance call outs per year, at a minimum cost of €100 each time, are no longer necessary, saving the city €14,000 annually.
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