SPP Pumps delivers increased efficiency and ease of maintenance to Northumbrian Water

  • 13-Jul-2015

SPP Pumps, a leading manufacturer and global supplier of centrifugal pumps and systems, has recently completed a major refurbishment project for Northumbrian Water, in association with consultants Amec and the appointed contractor BAM Nuttall.

After almost 40 years of continuous service the pumps at Northumbrian Water’s Great Lumley Raw Water Pumping Station had reached the end of their useful life. Pumping water from the River Wear along a two kilometre pipeline to Great Lumley Water Treatment Works, maintenance had become ever more frequent and in order to ensure the site was fit for future generations, replacement was essential. 

Working closely with consultants Amec and supporting the appointed contractor BAM Nuttall, SPP Pumps used its expertise and engineering excellence to provide a solution that delivered maximum efficiency, performance, operability and total cost of ownership.

Four SPP LLC GT20A 4 stage dry well mounted vertical turbine pumps were specified and installed to provide a true whole-life cost solution, with SPP’s unique dry well pump suction connector ensuring that vital installation dimensions and a water-tight solution were delivered.

A critical factor in the installation was the need to maintain water delivery throughout the refurbishment process, just one of the challenges associated with the project which also demanded the resolution of several key points namely:

  • Low net positive suction head available (NPSHa)
  • Severely limited space
  • Three fixed connection points with no flexibility- suction bend, discharge pipe and motor room floor
  • No discharge thrust block to restrain momentary back thrust and pump movement on start-up and shutdown

 

Stuart Wallis is SPP’s Sales Manager (Water). He explains how the company’s depth of engineering knowledge and innovation enabled the delivery of the perfect solution: “The SPP Water Business Unit worked closely with our engineering team to develop an innovative adaptor, we then mounted and assembled the suction connector onto the clients duckfoot bend. This complex installation was completed to programme and, when commissioned, the suction adaptor met all the challenges, performed as designed and together with the rest of the installation represents the very best in engineering solutions.”

For Northumbrian Water, Hedley Young, Project Manager - Investment Delivery - commented: “We have gained a solution that gives Great Lumley Water Pumping Station a more secure supply of water, more efficient and easy to maintain pumps and a cost-effective whole life installation to continue delivering the best customer service.”

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