APDS improves pumping station's energy efficiency

An ABB Automation Tech (Drives and Motors) product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Dec 4, 2008

APDS has improved the energy efficiency of Bristol Water's Purton pumping station by installing transformers, pump ends and industrial drives.

The pumping station, which has a capacity of 70 mega litres a day, takes water from a canal and pumps it to a water treatment works and other industry down stream.

The plant's original installation used direct on-line starters, which couldn't match flow to demand, so Bristol Water asked APDS to upgrade the pump and power train.

APDS installed two transformers, three new pump ends with ABB Eff1 high efficiency motors and three 400kW ABB industrial drives.

These were low harmonic drives to comply with the G5/4 regulations.

Following the installation, the 40 mega litre pumps consumed 240kW instead of 560kW.

Bristol Water now has better flow control and can match flow to demand.

Jim Reckhouse, engineering manager of Bristol Water, said: 'Often we only need to run one pump.

'As demand increases and the first pump approaches full capacity, we switch in the second pump.

'The load is then shared equally between the pumps, with the first being slowed down and the second being speeded up to match it.

'The system also allows us to maximise the use of low-cost electricity at night.

'We do try to pump as much at night as we can, depending on the downstream capacity in the storage reservoir and raw water storage.' The new drives and pumps are low voltage, meaning operators without high voltage experience can reset them.

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