Case

Grundfos Remote Monitoring drives green performance

Widely considered the premier public golf course on the Australian mainland, St. Andrews Beach Gunnamatta is spread over rolling country on the southwest coast of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. However, the coastal location means irrigation is essential for maintaining the fairways and greens in optimum condition, especially during the long, hot Australian summer. Unscheduled cut-outs, caused by low supply pressure, meant the system was not always delivering the required water – without the Course Superintendent knowing.

THE SITUATION

St Andrews Beach Golf Course relies on two large on-site tanks to store its irrigation water. One of these is filled from a bore, using a GRUNDFOS SP submersible pump. The second tank is filled with recycled water sourced from the Melbourne Waters Outfall Pipe. Water from both tanks is mixed at the pump station, then distributed by a booster pump.

The original booster pumps were installed in 2004 and would take about 14 hours to deliver the full irrigation schedule. As the golf course must be watered outside playing hours, completing theschedule would take all night the schedule and, if the pumps cut out at any time, the field would not be irrigated adequately.

In 2015, Course Superintendent Matthew Robillard oversaw installation of a new GRUNDFOS Hydro MPC-EC 2 x CR90-4-2 + CRIE15-5 ProTurf booster pump set with a CU 352 controller, monitor and alarm module.

Despite being the same size, these pumps proved far more efficient and could deliver a full irrigation schedule in just 8 hours, providing more flexibility in how the irrigation program could be scheduled. However, the problem with intermittent drop-outs remained.

About the GRUNDFOS Hydro MPC Booster Sets

The Hydro MPC boosters include the Grundfos multi-pump controller CU352, which features advanced operation and protection functionality, all accessible through the easy-to-use, intuitive operator interface. The booster sets incorporate the world's leading vertical multistage pumps to ensure long-lasting, energy-efficient system operation. System configurations can accommodate up to six mains, each equipped with integrated variable-speed motors that offer premium IE5 efficiencies for motors up to 11kW and high-efficiency IE3 motors for up to 22kW.

Additionally, Hydro MPC is available with Grundfos CUE frequency controllers up to 250kW, providing even greater system flexibility. In any chosen configuration, the advanced control algorithms of the CU352 optimize energy consumption during pumping, ensuring minimal energy use while maintaining the required system discharge pressure, even under the most challenging flow demand change conditions. This adaptability makes Hydro MPC boosters easily suitable for a range of applications and operating conditions.

THE SOLUTION

Mr Robillard engaged John Maini from GRUNDFOS Service to solve the water delivery problem. As nothing could be done to guarantee pressure from the recycled water side, Mr Maini recommended an updated CU 352 control panel with GRUNDFOS Remote Monitoring (GRM). This was installed in March 2023.

Grundfos Remote Monitoring allows Mr Robillard to access the critical operating parameters and alarm features of the CU 352 controller remotely, after logging in from almost any web-connected device.

Another benefit of Grundfos Remote Monitoring is the ability for Mr Robillard to manage the irrigation system from his office computer which is quite a distance from the water tanks and booster pumps. He is also able to manage the system from his smartphone outside of normal work hours, or when away from the course.

Should a fault occur, Mr Robillard receives an alert and knows how much water has been delivered, reducing the chances of under-watering.

If necessary, he can adjust the next irrigation schedule to make up the missing amount so that the fairways and greens receive adequate water to maintain their condition.

“I was very happy with GRUNDFOS service, design and installation. As well as being more dependable overall, the motors in the new pumps are much more time- and energy efficient, meaning considerable power savings.“

Matthew Robillard
St. Andrews Beach Golf Course, Victoria, Australia

THE OUTCOME

The new GRM system has allowed Mr Robillard and St Andrews Beach Golf Course to have greater visibility of the irrigation levels and adjust the watering pattern to make sure the golf course is always irrigated properly.

In addition, Mr Robillard has been very happy with the service from GRUNDFOS and has excellent backup from his local GRUNDFOS Groundwater Agent. Having used GRUNDFOS pumps throughout his career, he says they are highly regarded in the golf course sector. He finds them good value for money, with excellent performance and reliability.

He is now looking forward to seeing the results of the improved system over the full summer 2023-24 irrigation season.