Pumping station
They are critical in a variety of infrastructure systems, such as water supply, drainage of low-lying land, canals and removal of sewage to processing sites.
In canal systems, pumping stations help replenish water lost through lock usage and leakage, ensuring navigability.
Similarly, in land drainage, stations pump water to prevent flooding in areas below sea level, a concept pioneered during the Victorian era in places like The Fens in the UK.
Wastewater pumping stations, on the other hand, are engineered to handle sewage, with designs that ensure reliability and safety, minimizing environmental impacts from overflows.
Electronic controllers have enhanced the efficiency and monitoring capabilities of pumping stations, essential for modern systems.
In Lincolnshire, large areas of wetland at sea level, called The Fens, were turned into rich arable farmland by this method.
Elsewhere, pumping stations are used to remove water that has found its way into low-lying areas as a result of leakage or flooding (in New Orleans, for example).
In more recent times, a "package pumping station" provides an efficient and economic way of installing a drainage system.
They are suitable for mechanical building services collection and pumping of liquids like surface water, wastewater or sewage from areas where drainage by gravity is not possible.
A package pumping station is an integrated system, built in a housing manufactured from strong, impact-resistant materials such as precast concrete, polyethylene, or glass-reinforced plastic.
The development of a packaged pump station system combined all components into a single housing which not only eliminates uneven settling issues, but pre-plumbing and outfitting each unit prior to installation can reduce the cost and time involved with civil work and site labor.
Average annual per-capita water consumption, peak hour, and maximum daily can vary greatly due to factors such as climate, income levels, population, and the proportions of residential, commercial, and industrial users.
To minimize the need for entry, the facility is normally designed to allow pumps and other equipment to be removed from outside the wet well.
Further, any failure or leakage of the pumps or pipework can discharge sewage directly into the dry well with complete flooding not an uncommon occurrence.
To protect the above ground motors from weather, small pump houses are normally built, which also incorporate the electrical switchgear and control electronics.
These are the visible parts of a traditional sewage pumping station although they are typically smaller than the underground wet and dry wells.
As the motors are sealed and weather is not a concern, no above ground structures are required, excepting a small kiosk to contain the electrical switchgear and control systems.
A pumped-storage scheme is a type of power station for storing and producing electricity to supply high peak demands by moving water between reservoirs at different elevations.
