Research And Insight
Building on solid applications
The heating, ventilation and air-conditioning component of a fully air-conditioned building ranges between 30% and 60% of its overall energy use, according to a report by the nonprofit organisation Sustainable Energy Africa.
However, using innovative, intelligent pump systems can boost performance and reduce energy consumption in commercial buildings and residential homes – helping to protect the environment and cutting costs.
Grundfos supplies energy-efficient pump solutions for all the applications needed to ensure that a place of business or home is comfortable, healthy, safe and quiet – from heating and cooling to pressure boosting and fire protection.
Here’s a look at four important applications for buildings, and the Grundfos products that help create pleasant, secure spaces for those who work or live there:
Top temperature control for commercial premises: TP and TPE pumps
Every commercial building – from a luxury hotel to an office tower – has its own requirements, and installing the right pump system for heating or air-conditioning is of paramount importance.
Robust, reliable and low on energy, TP and TPE pumps are a range of single-stage, in-line centrifugal pumps with a mechanical shaft seal. One of their characteristic features is their close-coupled design, which means the pump and motor are separate units, making them less sensitive to impurities in the pumped liquid compared to canned rotor pumps.
Pumps and controller solutions form part of Grundfos’s extensive offering for heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) applications, says Grundfos external sales representative Nick Pluck. “Our pumps have long been at the heart of air-conditioning systems for a range of building types.”
While most HVAC applications depend on tried-and-tested end-suction pump technology, Grundfos’s single-stage inline pumps provide a proven alternative, notes Pluck. “Our TP pump solutions deliver great efficiency and, importantly, have a smaller footprint, which is a major advantage.
“The trick is to couple this with the right motor, controller and variable speed drive to deliver the efficiency, reliability and controllability that today’s customer demands.”
Importantly, Pluck adds, Grundfos pumps and pump systems deliver maximum efficiency with minimum energy consumption.
TP and TPE pumps are adaptable to small and large-scale systems, and their motors are either mains operated or electronically speed controlled.
They deliver the flow and pressure needed for heating, air-conditioning, cooling and other water-supply systems, are low on noise and can withstand temperatures of up to 150°C.
Anti-corrosion surface treatment means you can expect a long pump lifetime with minimal wear and tear and, compared with other systems, energy savings of up to 50%.
Not only are the pumps built to last, but a distinctive shaft seal chamber design also ensures optimum water circulation, so no external piping is required.
Among a wide range of other uses, TP and TPE pumps are suitable for:
- Commercial heating, air-conditioning, hot-water recirculation and water-pressure boosting
- District cooling and heating
- Domestic heating
- Cooling
- Temperature control
- Industrial boiler systems and heating
- Frost protection
- Pivot pressure boosting
Success story
Grundfos provides advanced pumping solutions for a range of commercial buildings in Kenya – from hotels and shopping malls to office complexes. The new 11-storey Park Inn Hotel by Radisson in Westlands, Nairobi, has 140 rooms and two restaurants, so installing up-to-date and completely reliable technical equipment was of the utmost importance.
Among the various Grundfos pumping systems installed in the building were two TPE 80-250/2-S pumps. The hotel also has a service contract with Grundfos, ensuring instant backup. This is a win-win situation for both parties – in the words of the Park Inn Hotel’s plumbing contractor: “I’ve worked with Grundfos pumps since 2007 in another development and I’ve never experienced any problems.”
Water boosting in commercial buildings: Hydro booster sets
Low water pressure can be a hassle, but a booster system can solve the problem by increasing the pressure and, therefore, the volume of water flowing from a tap or showerhead.
Grundfos’s Hydro MPC booster set is an advanced and energy-efficient pressure-boosting system to boost clean water. It is available with between two and six parallel connected pumps, an integrated advanced controller and all the necessary fittings.
As the premium offering in the Grundfos portfolio of Hydro pressure-boosting solutions, the reliable Hydro MPC set offers outstanding pressure control and top energy efficiency. It is also a favourite product among clients as well as Grundfos’s own representatives.
Melat Hibistu, a Grundfos building service sales engineer based in Ethiopia, says the Hydro MPC booster sets “ensure proper and constant water pressure, and you can have up to six identical pumps with a single booster set”. She adds that she offers these sets to customers with confidence, knowing “they can handle the operational challenges of any water-boosting application”.
Nicolette Gomes, a Grundfos expert in service agreements and remote-management systems, agrees, describing the Hydro MPC as her “favourite” Grundfos product, “because it’s the Rolls-Royce of pumps”.
The booster sets are able to handle the operational challenges of any boosting application – and they are easily set up and connected, making them an excellent choice for complex systems in buildings, industrial processes and water-utility installations.
The Hydro MPC is suitable for:
- Commercial water-pressure boosting
- Industrial heating
- Drinking-water treatment
- Irrigation
- Water distribution
Another Hydro solution suitable for simple, speed-controlled commercial water-pressure boosting is the Hydro Multi-B booster set, a basic, reliable and easy-to-use system for boosting water in offices, hotels, schools and other multi-storey buildings. It is available with two to three parallel-connected pumps, and comes with an integrated controller and all the necessary fittings.
The Hydro Multi-E variant comes with between two and four parallel-connected frequency-controlled pumps, an integrated advanced controller and fittings.
Success story
South Africa was the first African country to hold the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in 2010, with the opening match and final being among the matches played at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.
In a water-scarce city and country, it was decided to water the soccer pitch with recycled water, and a custom rainwater-harvesting system – to drain rainwater from the stadium’s enormous roof – was installed. The system also collected rainwater runoff from the stands and the pitch itself.
Grundfos supplied pumps for applications throughout the stadium, including two MPC-E booster systems with two CRE 32-5 variable speed multistage centrifugal pumps, controllers and tanks to irrigate the pitch.
After the successful tournament had ended, the Grundfos Hydro booster systems were displayed in a glass-fronted pump room at the stadium, giving spectators the chance to admire them!
Reliable fire protection with certified pump sets: Fire NKF
Grundfos supplies fire pumps that meet fire-protection standards for approved fire sprinkler systems for industrial and commercial buildings. These fire systems are tested and certified by accredited laboratories and listed by authorised institutions.
A fire-protection standard typically covers:
- Planning (buildings, hazard types, design criteria, water supplies, components)
- Installation (type, design characteristics, pipework, commissioning)
- Maintenance (user inspection and test, service and maintenance schedule)
Grundfos Fire NKF fire-pump sets with electrical and diesel-powered end-suction pumps are typically used in firefighting applications for supplying water to fire hose reels, fire hydrants or sprinkler systems.
The Fire NKF has a standard coupling protected by a coupling guard, and an electric motor or diesel engine, assembled on a base frame.
Grundfos also provides a complete, factory-assembled controller in a steel-plate cabinet, suitable for wall mounting or free-standing installation. The controller complies with the European standard EN 12845 for fixed firefighting systems.
The pump materials also comply with EN 12845:
- The impeller and wear rings are made of bronze
- The wet parts, such as the shaft, washers and nuts, are made of stainless steel
- The castings are made of cast iron
Benefits of the Fire NKF include that it is simple to install and easy to maintain; its design is compact; and it is customised and reliable.
Success story
Britam Tower in Nairobi’s Upper Hill is one of the three tallest buildings in Africa, so understandably it requires high-performance, technically advanced pumping systems for water supply, wastewater facilities and fire protection.
The adjacent 12-storey car park, accommodating 1 000 cars, also needed a network of fire sprinklers. More than 50 Grundfos pumps have been installed at the tower for water boosting, drainage and two separate firefighting systems, each serving its own zones for sprinkling and hose applications, and equipped with diesel-driven backup pumps.
Grundfos is proud to have provided a range of superior fire pumps for the installations throughout the main building and car park.
Find out more about the Grundfos fire-protection systems here
Ensuring robust water pressure at home: Scala2
Water pumps play an important role in the systems that ensure comfort and safety in the home, but unfit or defective products can not only lead to water wastage (while waiting for the water to reach the correct temperature for a shower, for example), but also energy inefficiency.
Grundfos has various robust, reliable pipes that help to eliminate these issues, reducing electricity bills and life-cycle costs.
The Scala2 water-booster pump ensures the perfect water pressure inside the house or for outdoor taps or garden sprinklers – whether low water pressure is caused by low pressure in the city mains, peak periods in the system or your own domestic water use.
The fully integrated water-booster pump features a pump, motor, tank, sensor, drive and non-return valve in one unit that is installed quickly and easily in three steps: connecting the pipes, priming the pump and plugging the pump into the power outlet.
“Its compact design means it can fit basically anywhere. It has a very low noise level and can even be installed inside a cupboard in your home,” says Grundfos external sales representative Irna Combrinck about the Scala2 pump.
“It’s also an all-in-one unit, which makes it a plug-and-play pump system. The pressure can be set according to the customer’s needs through the display unit. It will also set off an alarm if anything goes wrong with the pump or the system.
“It has a built-in pressure tank, dry-running protection and an auto alarm on/off switch.”
Scala2 boasts an intelligent pump control that constantly monitors the water pressure at the taps and adjusts performance to demand. At default, the pump will deliver a water pressure of 3 bar, regardless of inlet pressure and the number of open taps.
The Scala2 is suitable for:
- Domestic water pressure boosting
- Boosting pressure from a rainwater-harvesting tank
- Domestic groundwater intake (from a borehole, for example)