Mike Assante, who manages water system capital improvements as an engineering project manager for the City of Englewood, Colo., since September 2020, has been around a lot of pumps in his career. So, when he heard about an old pump making unusual noises, he was ready to spring into action.
Let’s face it, no matter how well you know your pump system it’s good to have an accurate, up-to-date reference when it comes to checking up on pumping fundamentals, fluid properties, and pipe system friction losses. Whether it involves changing the setpoint of an active valve or reviewing wear when pumping slurries, the Hydraulic Institute’s Engineering Data Library is an important resource.
In this interview, Howard Merson, senior manager of trade ally strategy and management, and Kyle Coumas, senior trade ally manager, at Energy Solutions, an employee-owned, mission-driven implementer. The two discuss how incentive programs work and how they could change the way we sell high-efficiency pumps.
When it comes to energy use, pumps are low-hanging fruit. They account for 25 percent of all energy consumed by industrial electric motors, and the figure is much higher for pumping intensive applications like municipal water, wastewater, and process plants.
Most municipal water case studies do not begin in a lab, but this one does. Eric Dole, a certified Pump System Assessment Professional (PSAP) with two patents to his name, was conducting research on electrocoagulation in a lab at Red Rock Community College outside Denver. A supervisor at Consolidated Mutual Water, who also taught at the school, was curious about the test and introduced himself.
Replacing an old pump or specifying a new one comes down to cost. While we can’t help you with your budget, the Hydraulic Institute’s Pump Savings Calculator can help you get the most pump for your money by determining life cycle energy and cost savings. It bases those calculations on your specific application and local electricity costs, and best of all, the calculator is free.
Reciprocating pumps date back more than 2,000 years, but it takes skill and knowledge to operate them efficiently. Unlike other pumps that provide steady fluid pressure, the stroke of a reciprocating pump produces a pulsating flow with a peak up to three times greater than its average flow.
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