Designing Wastewater Pumping Stations and Lift Stations

After participating in this course, you will be able to:

• Address fundamental challenges in pumping system concept development and design, considering installation, operation, and maintenance requirements.
• Identify and select the most suitable equipment for your applications, creating detailed technical specifications.
• Optimize operational performance by enhancing the efficiency and integration of system controls.
• Minimize recurring maintenance issues and improve overall system reliability and protection.
• Conduct thorough condition assessments and implement effective upgrades to increase pumping capacity.

Description
Wastewater pumping systems must manage varying flow rates, handle floatable objects, large solids, and abrasive materials, and minimize downtime and operational costs. Designing an efficient system involves development of the optimal concept, technical sound detailed design and selection of suitable equipment, for cost-effective installations, and smooth operation. This course delves into pump station design fundamentals, covering essential topics like applied hydraulics, pumps, motors, variable speed drives, and odour control technologies.

You will explore various pumping station types and their applications, including system head calculations, troubleshooting techniques, and ways to reduce maintenance demands. Case studies on odour control and options to upgrade existing facilities provide real-world insights into pump station operation and maintenance. Additionally, hands-on design exercises will guide you through sizing force mains, selecting appropriate pumps, and applying design principles to improve system functionality.

By the end of this course, you'll be equipped with practical knowledge to assess and upgrade pumping stations, implement supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, and troubleshoot common issues. The design workshop allows participants to apply the principles learned in earlier sessions, culminating in a collaborative presentation and discussion on best practices in pumping station design.

Who Should Attend
This course is ideal for engineers, superintendents, operators, and managers involved in wastewater system planning, design, operation, and maintenance. Water resource engineers, utility managers, consulting engineers, project managers, and environmental engineers will find the content highly relevant to their roles. Collection system maintenance engineers, technicians, technologists, and approval agency plan reviewers will also benefit from the practical, hands-on aspects of the course.

Additionally, professionals responsible for upgrading or maintaining pumping facilities, implementing control systems, or optimizing system efficiency will gain valuable insights. This course will help individuals across various sectors, including municipal water services, private engineering firms, and environmental consultancies to enhance their wastewater pumping systems expertise.

Pumping Station Design Fundamentals

• Methods for systematic development of pumping station concepts based on value, risk and discounted cash flow and sustainability criteria.
• Optimization of detailed designs for safety, reliability and robustness by means of hazards and operability analysis.
• Selection Criteria and Impact of Site Variables on Design: Legislated requirements and Provincial and Municipal design criteria, land use types, environmental sensitivities, grade and site considerations, hydraulic considerations for the pumping station, force main installations, and site details (noise, odour, access, easement).
• Design and construction teams

Pumping Station Types and Uses

• Types of stations and preferred use, including prefabricated or pre-cast and poured-in-place concrete, wet well (manhole type), wet well and dry well
• Archimedes screw pumps
• Pneumatic ejector pumps
• Rotodynamic pumps

Applied Hydraulics

• Basic station and force main design
• Pumping station layout
• System head calculations
• Flushing systems
• Air entertainment, cavitation and water hammer
• Handling varying flow rates
• Other common and related problems

Pumps and Their Applications

• Wastewater pump types
• Applications
• Impeller selection
• Mechanical seal selection
• Material selection
• Pump sensors
• Pump curves and affinity laws

Related Pump Station Equipment

• Piping
• Valves
• Meters
• Couplings
• Seals
• Power supplies
• Hoists
• Heating and ventilation
• Screens and comminutors
• Station layout and geometry
• Force main piping

Motors and Variable Speed Drives

• Fundamentals of alternating current systems
• Different motor types
• Motor starting systems and protection
• Types of drives
• Application of variable speed pumping

Pumping Station Odour Control

• Odour generation in sewerage systems and pump stations (cause and effect on system components)
• Air sampling and odour assessment (laboratory, odour panel, other)
• Points of odour release (effect on surrounding area)
• Odour treatment technologies

Pumping Station - Case Study (Odour Control)

• Examples of odour control facilities and applications at pump stations
• Descriptions of design and layout
• Operation and maintenance issues

Options to Upgrade or Increase Capacity of Existing Facilities

• Refurbishment, Retrofitting and Replacement
• Alternative pump arrangements
• Staged construction
• Flow attenuation with storage
• Application of variable speed pumping

Pump Station Operation and Maintenance

• Types of maintenance will be discussed
• Inspection procedure
• Preventive maintenance
• Computerized Maintenance Management Systems and their impact on the maintenance inspection process will be discussed
• Managing breakdown and injury emergencies

Condition Assessment of Existing Pumping Facilities

• Comprehensive investigation of all aspects
• Application to an actual pump station
• Checks to be made on process mechanical, building mechanical, electrical, structural, process control and ancillary systems and force main

Design Workshop

A scenario for the Hands-On Design exercise will be presented to the participants. In small groups, you will apply the principles learned in the earlier sessions to design a pumping station under instructor guidance conceptually. For the given hands-on exercises, you learn the design procedure, make design calculations to get a feel for the reasoning involved and understand equations and the nature of the quantities by going through the following steps: analyze incoming flow data, select design flows, size force mains (type, size), calculate system curves relevant to the incoming flows, select pumping equipment.

Group representatives present their designs to all participants, followed by a discussion on good versus bad design practices, practical operations, and cost implications.

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

• Data acquisition
• Equipment control
• Instrumentation
• Alarm handling
• Communications systems
• Remote monitoring (types and installation considerations)
• Backup systems - both local and disaster planning and business continuity

Troubleshooting a Pumping System

• Troubleshooting methods
• Root cause failure analysis
• A basic checklist will be presented, which will be further developed by involving participants who will apply it against a scenario provided to them.
• Investigation and diagnostics technology

Questions and Answers and Feedback to Participants on Achievement of Learning Outcomes

Concluding Remarks and Final Adjournment