The project requirement
The development required a foul-water pumping station with a documented hydraulic duty and provision for reliable automatic operation. The project brief also asked for features that could support a future water-company adoption route. This case study does not claim that adoption was subsequently completed.
The recorded design duty was 5 litres per second at 4.74 metres total head, discharging through a 90 mm outside-diameter SDR11 rising main approximately 75 metres long.
Pumping equipment and controls
The supplied package used two submersible pumps in a duty/standby arrangement. Each pump had a 20-metre power cable and an 80 mm discharge connection. The GRP wet well was supplied with a co-joined valve chamber containing the discharge manifold, non-return valves and isolation valves.
A three-phase Form 2 control panel provided pump run, trip and automatic changeover functions. The level-control design included ultrasonic measurement with backup and high-level float switches. Outputs were provided for power failure, pump failure and high-level alarm telemetry interfaces.
Installation and commissioning
Alton Pumps installed the pumps after completion of the civil works. The project records identify the rising main, incoming power supply and water for wet testing as supporting works provided by others.
The station was set to work and wet commissioned on 28 February 2017. Its project file contains the commissioning certificate, pump and panel test documentation, electrical records, general arrangement drawings and a dedicated operating and maintenance manual.
Recorded outcome
- Duty/standby resilience: two submersible pumps were installed for automatic alternating operation.
- Level and alarm control: ultrasonic control, backup floats and telemetry outputs were incorporated into the design.
- Commissioning documented: the station was set to work, wet tested and supported by a project-specific O&M manual.