Rental Pump Arrangement

Aug. 22, 2019

Water & wastewater rental pumps grant application flexibility

About the author:

Michael Delzingaro is vice president and director of sales for Xylem Dewatering Service. Delzingaro can be reached at [email protected].

From emergency water removal and temporary bypass systems, to dewatering construction or mining sites, an increasing number of industries and utilities are considering pump rental to efficiently and cost effectively run operations.

Whether managers seek to pump clean water, sewage, sludge, slurry or liquid with extreme pH levels, the pump rental model can be an effective way to access the right pump for the application at hand. Renting offers flexibility to handle complex and evolving applications without investing in long-term pumping equipment installations.

However, pump rental solutions involve more than just equipment today. Water technology companies can customize and optimize rental solutions to solve complex water problems across a range of industries and applications. Beyond design and installation of pump rental solutions, many solutions providers now offer complete project management services and responsive customer support to minimize downtime and improve efficiency, reliability and peace of mind.

Non-clogging Lift Station Solution

Lift stations are an essential component for many municipal and industrial wastewater collection systems to move sewage from low to high elevation. Such is the case for the John Street lift station in Monroe County, N.Y., which serves both a large residential community and the nearby campus of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). 

Seeking to increase efficiencies, lower utility costs and reduce overall pump maintenance for the facility, Monroe County commissioned system upgrades for the lift station, requiring a bypass system to move a peak flow of 12 million gal per day (mgd). Bypass contractor Dakksco Pipeline Corp. worked with Xylem Rental Solutions to design and install a temporary system to transfer water and effluent, ensuring uninterrupted flow of wastewater for both the RIT campus and neighboring residential area. 

Maintaining existing flows was critical during construction, so the pump station design improvements featured a layout to accommodate a temporary bypass pump and a construction sequence for continuous service. The fluctuating student population at the RIT campus significantly impacted flow conditions, which range from a 5 mgd average to a peak flow of 12 mgd. During the summer months, when fewer students live on campus, flows fall to 1.5 mgd. 

To handle the lift station’s varied flow, Xylem designed a temporary bypass system that used several pumps, including a Godwin Dri-Prime CD225M 8-in. electric pump, a Godwin Dri-Prime CD300M 12-in. diesel pump and a Flygt N-Technology N 3301 electric submersible pump. 

The electric pump and electric submersible pump served as the primary pumps for the bypass. Using the electric pumps enabled the contractor to plumb into the existing pipe system, which helped improve pump efficiency and reduce costs. With limited space near the RIT campus, the flexible, and modular design of the submersible pump easily fit the project’s compact footprint. The 12-in. diesel pump was used as a backup pump in the event of a power outage or if a system clog shut down the other two pumps. The systems started bypassing in August 2018 and ran 24/7 until November. It was set to emulate the response and flows of the station’s permanent equipment. 

These pumps helped Dakksco overcome site challenges with a rental solution that combined pumps and specialty products from proven brands, resulting in greater efficiency and peace of mind. 

Remote connectivity eliminated the need for onsite 24/7 pump watch duty, saving Dakksco and Monroe County thousands of dollars in man hours. The bypass system also was equipped with an alarm to alert Dakksco employees about potential pump issues via any smart device, giving remote visibility to pump activity in real time. 

Rental Submersible Pump Keeps Lift Station Flowing

The Menlo Lift Station in Hemet, Calif., is a key component of the Eastern Municipal Water District’s (EMWD) residential wastewater system. When a submersible sewage pump at the station failed, EMWD was left without a backup pump. If the remaining pump failed for any reason, the lift station would go down, and the wider wastewater system would be affected. Without excess capacity, the station also ran the risk of being overcome by a surge in flow. Both scenarios posed a threat to the local environment, so EMWD urgently needed a replacement pump to keep the station running smoothly. 

EMWD sought a three-phase, 460-volt replacement pump that could handle flow rates of 378 gal per minute (gpm) at 30.4 total dynamic head to rent while the damaged pump was out for repairs. Limited above-ground space meant that a submersible pump was required. Identifying a rental pump with these specifications was specific to the demands placed on EMWD’s system, and ultimately it found a suitable pump. For the Menlo Lift Station application, Xylem suggested the Flygt 3000 Series of electric submersible pumps. A 5-hp Flygt 3102 electric submersible pump was dispatched from a local rental hub to the application site. In addition to meeting the flow and total dynamic head demands, the pump had self-cleaning impellers that are designed to avoid clogging. The pump’s compact size also was suitable for the limited footprint at the jobsite. Workers fitted it to the wall in the wet well, which provided a low-impact submersible unit for the residential setting.

Ensuring sewage pumps run uninterrupted and avoiding environmental impacts through its network are two core commitments EMWD makes to its customers. This rental option enabled the customer to quickly replace its failed pump at the Menlo Lift Station without incurring a significant capital investment and without compromising on pump specifications.

In addition to installation, Xylem Rental Solutions provided a full team for the dismantling of the rental pump system—just as it did for set-up—as well as support for repairs and servicing. As such, businesses and municipalities that install these pumps can focus on maintaining their system instead of getting the new equipment online. 

Bypass & Monitoring During Plant Upgrade

To stay in compliance with Pennsylvania  EPA requirements, the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority (KVWPCA) had to double the capacity of one of its plants  from 15 mgd to 31 mgd. Due to its scale, the plant managers sought outside expertise and fielded the help of Xylem Rental Solutions. The company provided a bypass with variable frequency drive (VFD) pump controls and an advanced remote monitoring system to save energy and fuel costs.

As part of the expansion process, KVWPCA had to decommission its existing influent pumping station and tie its system into a new influent pump station once construction was complete. As the construction process was taking place, KVWPCA—with help from an engineering contractor and Xylem—built a bypass pumping system that could handle the flow.

Keeping the plant running throughout the project was imperative and some requirements of the bypass were critical to success. Those requirements included:

  • Construction of a 12-ft-by-12-ft-by-37-ft bypass pumping wet well to facilitate the new bypass;
  • 24/7 monitoring—either manual or automated—for equipment failures;
  • VFD pump controls to address a wide range of flows; and
  • Monthly reporting of all flow data to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Xylem installed five Flygt NS-3301 electric submersible pumps for a temporary rental installation for the project. However,  the plant did not have enough power to run the pumps, so each rental pump ran off a 104-kW Godwin generator. Each generator was equipped with a 100-hp Godwin VFD to handle the variations in flow. Two 24-in. Xylem-brand MJK flowmeters also were installed, in addition to level transducers in the wet well.

At the core of the project was a remote supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system that Xylem installed to drive the monitoring and control aspect. The SCADA system received data from level transducers in the wet well, which triggered the generators and started the pumps at predetermined levels. The VFDs then controlled pump speed to maintain appropriate system flow.

Linked together to work in tandem via SCADA, the VFDs fed real-time run data—including RPM speed, AMPS current and levels measured in feet—from the pumps to the display. The system parameters were preset at specified levels, and if a parameter or optimal running conditions were not met, the system sent KVWPCA personnel text alerts to their mobile phones.

The remote SCADA system tied back to the plant SCADA system, so plant personnel could monitor activity from one control panel. All the real-time pump data fed into the system, which is accessible from any device with internet access, including smartphones and tablets.

Over the life of the long-term project, the technology used by Kiski Valley saved thousands of dollars through increased energy efficiencies. The real-time, advanced remote monitoring and control technology also provided KVWPCA personnel and their customers with peace of mind. 

About the Author

Michael Delzingaro

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