Xylem Inc.has reduced the total energy consumption of four wastewater pump stations in Jefferson Parish,Louisiana by 50 percent with its new wastewater pumping system,Flygt Experior.
These stations were experiencing serious clogging issues and have not required any maintenance call outs since the Flygt Experior pumps have been installed in May of this year.
"Our focus has been on finding reliable replacement pumps because we have so many lift stations with clogging problems,"said Linda Daly,director of the Parish Department of Sewerage,"With over 500 pump stations we felt the new Flygt Experior system had features that deserved a real-world test for possibly broader applications in our system.We've not had any call outs for pump failures at the four locations that received the systems from Xylem,despite heavy rains and'inflow and infiltration'."
All of the pump stations received Xylem's five horse power Flygt Experior systems,with three of them incorporating the Flygt SmartRun controls.The systems delivered a 50 percent saving in energy consumption and the clog-free reliability.Prior to receiving the Flygt Experior systems the cost for a single work order,in addition to the routine cost of daily inspections at every facility,often reached more than$400.Moreover,an incident could tie up manpower at a station by requiring not only the two-man inspection team but also a mechanic and electrician at the location.
As demonstrated by the recent Hurricane Isaac,Jefferson Parish,which primarily consists of flat and marshy reclaimed swamp-land,is vulnerable to tropical storms,hurricanes and high rainfall events throughout the year.Canals and levees are used to drain and protect that part of the parish that stands at or below sea level.Frequent rainfall induces surges of'inflow and infiltration'that can overload stretches of the parish's 1500 miles of gravity sewer lines,200 miles of force mains and 505 lift stations that range from single-horsepower installations to facilities with multiple 400-hp pumps.
Three complementary functions-hydraulics,motors and controls-distinguish the fully-integrated Flygt Experior system from traditional pump systems.Xylem's Flygt Adaptive N-Pump was recognized as'Most Innovative Product of 2011'by the Water Environment Federation.The Adaptive N-hydraulics improves upon the proven clog-free impeller of the original Flygt N-pump by allowing the impeller to move axially upward long enough for bulky materials or other debris to pass through even more smoothly.This significantly reduces stress on the shaft,seals and bearings during these intrusions.
Premium Efficiency Motors,up to 105 hp,are the heart of the Experior system.With'Line Started Permanent Magnet'(LSPM)technology,these motors supersede the nominal standard by up to four percent and the application to wastewater pumps is a first within the industry.
Flygt SmartRun controls coordinate the pumping system in a unit that is pre-programmed to wastewater requirements.SmartRun combines the functionality of a variable frequency drive with a simple intuitive interface that is simple to operate and functionally optimized to eliminate the complicated fine-tuning required of traditional variable frequency drives.
