Optimisation alternative | Envirotec

Pump producer KSB writes about its involvement in a current venture to improve a 50-year-old potable water pumping station in Canada. The station provides round 420k individuals and supplies as much as 340m L/day

For half a century residents and commerce throughout eight municipalities of the higher London Space of south western Ontario have acquired their potable water provide from Lake Huron Water Therapy Plant (WTP) close to Grand Bend and over this era the neighborhood has been effectively served. Nonetheless, in 2017 the Lake Huron Major Water Provide System (LHPWSS) introduced an Vitality Audit and Pump Optimization research that recognized a major alternative for power financial savings and the optimization of pump operations for the pumping station.

The end result of this research has been the modification of the unique 5 pump configuration within the pump station and its substitute with a six pump configuration. This has concerned eradicating three of the unique 50-year previous 3000hp (2237kW) pumps and changing them with 4 excessive carry pumps from KSB. With the brand new pumps operating on their operational curve, substantial power financial savings might be made. As {an electrical} transmission-connected entity, the LHPWSS was eligible underneath the Unbiased Electrical energy Methods Operator’s (IESO) Industrial Accelerator Program (IEP) for monetary incentives for eligible power effectivity initiatives.

4 worldwide pump producers submitted bids, however KSB Canada’s submission stood out. Regardless of being the best capital expenditure value by a major quantity, KSB’s submission really supplied the bottom general anticipated lifecycle value over 25 years. This was doable as a consequence of KSB’s spectacular power effectivity and artistic answer in providing a single sort for all 4 pumps (giant and small.) This diminished the spares requirement, in flip decreasing the lifecycle value and offering flexibility to simply enhance pump capability sooner or later as demand continues to extend. The contract was awarded to KSB Canada, who commenced design and session work in 2019. Pump manufacturing started in 2020 and the up to date pumping station turned totally operational August 2022.

Lake Huron: Major provide

Positioned in Southwestern Ontario, alongside the Quebec Metropolis-Winsor Hall, London is an attention-grabbing Metropolis because it will get its water supply from each Lake Huron and Lake Erie. The Regional Water Provide Division of the Metropolis of London (RWS) is seconded to the regional Water Boards and chargeable for two main water provide techniques, these being the LHPWSS and the Elgin Space Major Water Provide System (EAPWSS). The LHPWSS providers the municipalities of London, Lambton Shores, North Middlesex, South Huron, Bluewater, Middlesex Centre, Lucan-Biddulph and Strathroy-Caradoc from a water remedy plant situated north of the village of Grand Bend in South Huron. The plant has a present remedy capability of 340 million liters per day (75 million imperial gallons per day) and serves town’s inhabitants of roughly 420,000 individuals within the eight municipalities, together with 80% of the Metropolis of London.

The pumping station was initially designed for a single pipeline, however later in 1996 and 2014 the RWS partially twinned the 47km essential transmission pipeline to a terminal reservoir ensuing within the pumps now not operating on their curve. “After nearly 50 years, the present pumps had been turning into inefficient, with the impellers displaying indicators of pitting. Retaining them operational required a variety of ongoing upkeep as a result of they had been operating off curve,” experiences Billy Haklander, Capital Program Supervisor, LH&EAPWSS.

Pump choice

The overriding points which the pumps suppliers confronted had been delivering power financial savings and making certain that pumps could possibly be accommodated within the restricted house within the pump corridor and that the ground may face up to their weight. As well as the provider wanted to ensure a large working vary with low obtainable NPSH, protecting a number of responsibility circumstances with pumps working at full pace.

To provide the LHPWSS probably the most flexibility in choosing pumps, 4 pump suppliers had been invited to submit separate bids for the small and enormous pumps and to determine a credit score ought to the LH&EAPWSS resolve to supply each the small and enormous pumps from the identical provider. KSB’s bid supplied a inventive answer utilizing only a single sort for all 4 pumps, with solely the impellers and motors being completely different in accordance with the scale of the pump.

The bottom plates for every pump had been the identical measurement. The flexibleness supplied by KSB enabled the capital value of its bid to be adjusted to account for fewer spares and thereby create financial savings for the shopper.

A major advantage of the proposal made by KSB was that with the smaller pumps utilizing the identical measurement casings and base plates as the 2 bigger pumps, they’d engineered the chance to extend the pump measurement by becoming bigger impellers and motors at a future date. This may be performed on web site with none civil works needing to be carried out. Thus, if demand grows for the water provide to be elevated it may be accommodated with the minimal of value and disruption to the plant.

Following a 25 yr Life Cycle Price evaluation, taking into consideration the capital value, power consumption and upkeep prices made by AECOM Canada, consultants for LH&EAPWSS, the contract was awarded to KSB. Provided that the pumps proposed by KSB met the technical necessities and supplied the bottom general anticipated lifecycle value over 25 years, AECOM and RWS beneficial that the proposal from KSB be accepted.

Set up challenges

“One of many constraints that we needed to think about when evaluating the bidders’ venture was capacity to adapt to the obtainable house within the present pump corridor “explains Marcus Henderson, KSB Nationwide Operations Supervisor. “With this being an present set up there was solely a lot actual property to work with and a key constraint was that the present pumps had been of a backside suction configuration. Normally, the set up configuration for horizontal cut up case pumps is in-line with the suction and discharge in the identical route. This meant that we needed to discover a answer to include backside suction. We needed to undertake some sample work to include the present pipework which enabled us to unravel the issue.”

“The eventual scope of the venture concerned the availability of 4 backside suction horizontal cut up case pumps, vibration monitoring system and move straighteners (suction conditioning spools) for potable water distribution (water provide)”, experiences Marcus Henderson. “Additionally, a part of the contract was to provide two TECO make 1494kW/2000hp @ 1200rpm, 4160V / 3Ph/60Hz and two TECO make 2611Kw/3500hp @ 1200rpm, 4160V / 3Ph/60Hz electrical motors. We had been additionally chargeable for torsional and lateral evaluation for the pump units, on web site start-up and commissioning subject providers.”

The plant’s pumps are rated for 1,158 L/s, and every of the pumps’ discharge piping is supplied with a 500mm diameter tilting disk verify valve, together with a 500mm diameter metallic seated ball valve geared up with a motorized electrical actuator. The WTP has two hydro pneumatic tanks, every with a capability of 580m³, for transient safety of the 47km partially twinned 1200mm diameter water essential distribution system.

RDLO pumps

Confirmed in lots of water functions world wide, the RDLO pumps had been recognized as being greater than able to assembly the shopper’s particular calls for. KSB’s RDLO axially cut up, single stage volute pumps have been developed particularly for dealing with uncooked water, clear water, service water and transport fluids with a minimal of move resistance. Consequently, they decrease the power and life cycle prices of the techniques wherein they’re put in. Additionally they provide reliability and excessive availability: Reliability from the casing halves being sealed by stable casing cut up flanges on the higher and decrease casing half, and excessive availability from using generously-dimensioned bearings and high-quality shaft seals.
The mixture of stable bearing brackets, a brief and inflexible shaft and pre-loaded bearings ensures low vibration and prolonged working life for the bearings, seals and coupling.

Being axially cut up case pumps simplifies upkeep procedures, enabling prepared entry to all components for thorough inspection. The drive could also be positioned on each the left and proper of the pump with out further components or modifications to the casing being obligatory. ”Two of the pumps are linked as much as 3500 hp motors and the opposite two to 2500 hp motors.

These are the principle pumps supplying ingesting water to the whole LHPWSS with many purchasers over 50km away, so that they eat a large amount of power. It’s marginal enhancements comparable to these that may enhance effectivity by one or two %, however they work out to large {dollars} when you think about the general measurement of the plant,” says Marcus Henderson.

Set up

“As a result of the pumps had been being retrofitted into the unique premises, it was essential to run the plant at half capability on one transmission facet throughout set up,” explains Billy Haklander. “As there was a spare bay already within the plant it was doable to make the most of this for the set up of the primary pump. The process concerned operating pumps 1, 2 and three whereas pumps 5 and 6 had been being put in. As soon as these pumps had been examined and we had been comfy with their efficiency the process switched to operating pumps 4, 5 and 6 whereas pumps 1, 2, and three had been being put in.”

The introduction of the brand new pumps supplied the chance to retrofit isolation valves. Traditionally the shortage of the isolation valves on the present pumps required the entire isolation of half of the discharge header board (three pumps) as a way to facilitate the restore to at least one pump, successfully limiting the pump capability of the plant to half of its rated capability.

The number of a mixed management/verify valve to switch two valves on every pump discharge meant that every pump would have a devoted isolation valve for every pump discharge. Isolation valves on every pump discharge will allow the entire isolation of the mix valve and the excessive carry pump for upkeep and restore functions.
A major component of the venture was the energy-saving promise of the pumps, which concerned manufacturing facility acceptance testing at KSB’s Halle facility in Germany. Henderson explains: “Manufacturing facility testing concerned delivery one motor of every measurement to our manufacturing facility and coupling them as much as the pumps for string testing and recording the general pump efficiency. The motors additionally underwent sort testing underneath full load in accordance with the IEEE Commonplace in order that they might decide motor effectivity.” He continues: “We took the manufacturing facility general energy and the information from the motor manufacturing facility to find out pump effectivity. There have been strict penalties on efficiency ensures on this venture, so if we failed to fulfill the effectivity ensures given, KSB could be required to pay LHPWSS the distinction in power prices delivered and people which had been assured over the efficiency lifetime.”

“It’s price noting that when the pump checks had been carried out, they needed to be on naked internals. The coatings had been solely utilized after testing, so it was a real check of the uncooked effectivity of the pumps. Provided that coating can enhance effectivity by one to 2 % we confronted some robust circumstances.”

“The substitute of fifty-year-old excessive carry pumps on the Lake Huron Water Therapy Plant will lead to vital power financial savings and optimization of pump operations. The complexities of this huge infrastructure venture embrace the set up of two 2,000hp/1494kW and two 3,500hp/2611kW pumps and related mixture management and isolation valves in addition to a medium voltage motor management centre, all whereas sustaining provide to the utility’s regional prospects,” says Billy Haklander.

“Working with KSB and the opposite distributors all through a worldwide pandemic supplied unexpected challenges, however I used to be amazed at how effectively the venture went. The individuals at KSB in Canada had been capable of arrange and accommodate the digital web site acceptance testing program and their engineers on the Halle plant in Germany had been nice in offering data when it was requested. KSB was on the entrance in making it a profitable venture and their collaboration with the important thing gamers, particularly Kenaidan Contracting the final contractor chargeable for putting in the pumps and the mechanical features of the venture and overseeing the set up of {the electrical} parts by their electrical sub-contractor Selectra, was vastly appreciated,” feedback Billy Haklander.