Romtec Utilities designs, supplies, and constructs pumping systems that include all structural, mechanical, electrical, and communications systems through a single partner. Our expansive pump station engineering and manufacturing has brought us projects from many different areas of the world and in many different applications. From unique to straightforward, the water type being pumped will drive the design of every pump station. Romtec Utilities has encountered all types of scenarios, including some that would be considered quite unusual to people outside the water infrastructure industry. Understanding water and its importance is a key factor in getting the best pump station for your project.
The first thing to understand about water types is the basic origin of the water getting pumped. A lot of water types are fairly well understood, like wastewater or sewage. This is an unpleasant aspect of reality that is present everywhere, and engineers have long known about the basic makeup of all sewage, which is incredible considering the unintuitive materials people will flush down a drain. In spite of this understanding, the world is always changing. New low-flow fixtures and eco-flush toilets cause there to be less water in a sewer system, changing the basic chemistry that engineering had used for decades. Romtec Utilities understands that in some applications, like apartments, sewage needs to be treated differently in 2019 to get a reliable lift station design.
It’s not limited to sewage either. The national understanding and attention paid to stormwater has changed dramatically over recent years. For a long time, stormwater was something the simply needed to be directed to a drain into the nearest creek, river, containment pond, or shoreline. Only in occasional circumstances did it need to be pumped. Today, stormwater is extremely varied. First-flush stormwater is considered so dirty that it is treated as wastewater in most areas. Other stormwater is collected and pumped into percolation ponds used to replenish municipal aquifers that are now running low on clean water. Industrial facilities and large construction projects are prohibited from letting stormwater drain into the surrounding environment. Each stormwater scenario creates a different solution, and the pump station design will need to be specific to the water type.
Industrial, power generation, and manufacturing are other sectors where the water types can be highly variable. Romtec Utilities engineers systems for these applications that don’t adhere to any standard practices to address unique water. Often times, the water is very hot, which can require many types of special components. It can also be common for water to become distilled. This creates water chemistry that is corrosive to a lot of typical pump station components. Even applications where you wouldn’t expect, like large data centers, that water chemistry can change, creating the need for specific engineered components for the pumping system.
There are near limitless water types in the world, and it is important to work with a company that has the design and engineering experience required to meet any water type scenario. Whether it’s pumping whole food products (which we’ve designed) or pumping water so hot it’s almost steam, Romtec Utilities has encountered a large number of water types that are irregular that require specific engineered products to handle. Check out our extensive project gallery to see a selection of projects that we’ve completed in recent years.