Cas d’application

Grundfos pumps get Saudi pumping station back on track

The water sector is one of the most vital for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Being a desert country with a large agricultural and industrial base and a growing population makes the handling of wastewater essential.

Many of the pumping stations and sewage treatment plants built in the late seventies are outdated and the pump systems are worn down and require excessive maintenance. The combination of inefficient plants and a growing population lead the government in Saudi Arabia to create a separate Ministry of Water in 2002. The ministry’s top priority is to formulate a national water plan to establish a sustainable treatment of water.

The Situation
Sihat main pumping station was old, inefficient and often non-operational and a perfect picture of the water problem in Saudi Arabia. The existing long shaft pumps had become inefficient and required constant maintenance.

In order to meet the demands of the national water plan, the pumping station required an efficient and reliable pump system that was able to keep up with the rapidly growing quantity of wastewater. Ziad Zahran, General manager of the trading, construction and maintenance company, LAMAH Est. in Riyadh presented the Grundfos solution to the Directorate of water in the Eastern region. Based on a reputation of high quality, local presence and excellent after sales service the Grundfos solution was finally preferred.

The Grundfos Solution
Grundfos supplied 2 large-scale sewage pumps with cooling jackets to handle the large amount of wastewater required by the city of Sihat. After minor modifications to the existing piping system the pumps were installed and started running immediately.

The Grundfos S 2-2606-H3 – 260kW pumps installed in a dry pit were specially selected to meet Sihat’s exact requirements. Not only do the closed coupled pumps comply with the specifications of the Ministry of Water, the SmartTrim furthermore secures easy and fast adjustment of the impeller clearance to maintain maximal pump performance.

The Outcome
In accordance with the demand of the water government plan; the Sihat pumping station is now back on track and performing impeccably. Efficiency has increased considerably, while maintenance costs are reduced to a minimum and down time is virtually non-existent. The Manager of Sihat pumping station has been very satisfied with the new Grundfos installation. The SmartTrim has enabled his staff to increase pump efficiency without dismantling the pumps. This saves time and energy and secures a reliable and efficient system.

The exceptional quick service and follow-up has also impressed the manager. Recently, when the pumping station experienced cavitations in the system, an orifice plate immediately solved the problem, and the subsequent installation of a variable speed controller ensured that the problem would not occur again. In fact the Directorate of Water is so pleased with the new system that they intend to place an order for a third wastewater pump in the near future.