Article
Innovative hydraulics deliver reliable operation at lower total cost, meeting the challenges of urban wastewater
The pump is at the core of any wastewater network. Pump uptime and efficiency is vital for keeping total cost of ownership low and wastewater flow optimised while helping maintain the highest levels of performance.
Wastewater is more and more often pumped over longer distances as small treatment plants are closed and wastewater is pumped to larger plants to make treatment more efficient. This require pumps suitable for high head/lower flow applications and with a high efficiency to keep operating costs low as pumps are often operated for many hours.
The operational reliability is of course priority one as unscheduled downtime might be fatal and very costly.
With particular focus on the high head/lower flow application Grundfos has developed a new Open S-tube to supplement the existing Closed S-tube for this kind of applications. The new Open S-tube is characterised by same high efficiency as the closed S-tube and due to the twin channel design is the pulsation and vibration level at an absolute minimum.
The Open S-tube as well as the closed S-tube is available in stainless steel for use in corrosive applications and the new impeller is now also available in a hardened white iron execution for particular abrasive applications.
Grundfos continues to develop and improve pump design to meet the ever-changing requirements of wastewater. Urban wastewater in particular is increasing in complexity, with components such as suspended solids, organic matter, oils and greases, fibres and polymers and other substances presenting new challenges. Moreover, extreme weather conditions increase the variation of rainfall and the chance of flooding.
For the new and innovative S-tube® impeller for SE/SL pumps, we have performed an extensive number of virtual tests to maintain the renowned levels of Grundfos quality and performance. In fact, we have conducted much more virtual testing than would ever be possible to do physically. And all our simulations have been validated using state-of-the-art physical tests. We follow-up component and product testing for functionality and durability with testing in challenging installations around the world prior to market release.