As concern for the environment grows, so does the need for efficient handling of both industrial and domestic effluent: ABS Pumps have provided equipment for an 1100m long pump-driven sea outfall.

As concern for the environment grows, so does the need for efficient handling of both industrial and domestic effluent. Selecting the right equipment in order to avoid damaging the environment through problems caused by blockages, spills or leaks is of paramount importance. So when a major US-owned industrial company based in Ayrshire decided, in consultation with SEPA, to invest GBP3 million in replacing its existing 50m long gravity fed sea discharge pipe with a 1100m long pump-driven sea outfall, the contractor turned to global solutions provider ABS Pumps for two material-specific pumps that would suit the task in hand.

The project carried out by the company, due to concerns over the possible deposition of solids on the local shoreline, decided the situation could be avoided by installing an extended outfall, buried initially under the beach and subsequently the sea bed.

The contractor managing the mechanical/electrical systems for the project was Glasgow-based Ferrier Pumps, a specialist in this field.

The chief concern in this particular application was the nature of the media being pumped.

Although the resultant solution was very much diluted, the client decided that it would invest the additional monies involved on the basis of longevity and reliability, and hence it specified that the pump hydraulics and pedestals were to be manufactured from Duplex stainless steel.

'ABS is one of our main suppliers for submersible pumps,' explains the Ferrier Pumps director PJ McFeeley.

'Although we contacted a couple of other potential suppliers only ABS could meet our material requirements'.

Other requirements included: suitability for fixed guide rail installation; solids handling capability; suitability for inverter speed control; duty requirement of 213 litres/sec at 12.76m per pump.

The use of inverters was so that, as far as practical, the discharge rate met the inflow rate to maintain a constant level in the pump sump.

The ABS pumps offered to meet this specification were two 37kW, Z6300-C2-2908 models.

They were installed in late 2003 and have been operating trouble-free ever since on an alternating duty/standby regime.

A central control station, constructed by Ferrier, monitors the status of the pumps and flow rates, which can be observed and adjusted.

The cost of cleaning up after a mishap can be expensive, but careful selection and installation of pumps and equipment can help ensure that plant integrity always meets the standards required.

In the system installed by Ferrier, an alarm will signal in the event of a blockage and effluent will be diverted back down the old gravity fed outfall.

'Since installation the ABS pumps have worked fine,' concludes Mr McFeeley.

'We have a maintenance contract with the client and the first service on the pumps took place in August.