Romtec Utilities has decades of experience providing pumping systems for a wide variety of applications. Pumping systems can inherently be complex, and it is important to have the skills and knowledge to successfully design, supply, and start-up large and complex pumping systems.
With any pumping system, it’s necessary to understand the big picture before the design process. This is especially true for large systems. Understanding the big picture before the design avoids costly revisions, delays, and surprises down the road. For all projects, this includes considerations such as system type and application, telemetry, and important site information that could impact the design. For particularly large projects, or particularly challenging site locations, Romtec experts also perform a site walk to understand the site’s limitations, special considerations, or obstacles, and how to best design the system.
PDX TCORE
To serve the amount of traffic that the Port of Portland is anticipating, the new wastewater system needs to be quite large to handle the increase in waste. In addition to the large size of the PDX TCore pumping system, the site location also poses numerous challenges. The new wastewater system includes a significant amount of equipment that all needs to be placed under the surface of an active airport, and Romtec Utilities experts must take into consideration the other utilities that were already underground, while maintaining the footprint of the original system. With a slim area to work in, the Romtec Utilities supplied system is far from typical, with all components being completely underground including the particularly large wet well that is 12’ wide and 35’ in depth to accommodate the increase in wastewater.
Understanding the needs of our customer and the constraints of the site are incredibly crucial to the success of the PDX TCore project. Every project is unique in its needs, and like the site, the end owner is just as important to understand to ensure the success of the pump station. The end owner will be responsible for the maintenance and operation for the life of the system, and understanding who they are, if they have any other pumping systems, and what they’re familiar with can have a great impact on the outcome of a project.
DOW Chemical
After working with Romtec Utilities on a previous project, the DOW Chemical Company came to Romtec for the design and supply of a stormwater lift station. This pumping system for DOW Chemical is a large system capable of discharging 8500 gallons per minute. For Romtec Utilities, it posed the unique challenge of designing a system that could be installed onsite by DOW Chemical employees. To respect this desire for confidentiality at their facility, Romtec Utilities worked with DOW engineers to design a system that they could self-install and operate with ease.
By working with the end owner and understanding their needs and their capabilities, Romtec was able to design a system that could be installed by DOW employees. The resulting Romtec pumping system was delivered with much of the hardware pre-installed to facilitate a “drop in” installation. The included installation plans were well-defined enough that DOW’s personnel were able to complete installation on their own, with Romtec Utilities assistance simply needed for start-up and training.
With every project, Romtec Utilities includes install and start-up services. This includes our experts travelling to the job site to oversee installation, ensure everything is accounted for, make certain that the system is constructed as designed, and then to start-up and test the system. Finally, start-up technicians train personnel on the system before handing it over entirely to the owner. These services can be particularly valuable for larger systems that utilize more components as well as more complex components, as it gives Romtec one last verification that all information matches the approved plans and ensures that personnel will be able to operate and maintain the system after start-up.
By taking the time to fully understand the project, the constraints, and our customers, Romtec Utilities sets the project up for success. Our experience and knowledge, and our dedication to our customers, gives Romtec Utilities expertise, flexibility, and drive to design large complex systems like those supplied in the PDX TCore and DOW Chemical projects.