Is the Grundfos S-tube the Wastewater Pump of the Future?

Waste Water PlantWe have seen a lot of water pumps over the years, and most of them fall into distinct categories. Grundfos, however, now offers a pump that is in its own category. It is called the S-tube. The S-Tube is designed for wastewater processing, and combines the designs of a few different types of pump to create a unique product.

Grundfos created the S-tube as a response to a typical and prevalent wastewater industry problem. Most pumps in the industry either sacrifice free passage or high efficiency. This means that they sacrifice either efficiency or reliable operation.

The S-tube is designed to provide both efficiency and reliable operation in one design solution. In today’s era of water shortages, it is essential that communities process their wastewater both efficiently and reliably. The S-tube provides both options. This allows water companies to provide enough water for their communities without increasing operating costs.

Without getting too technical, the S-tube has a closed impeller and unique design that allows high efficiency and free passage. In addition, the S-tube employs the Grundfos blueflux motor design, which is very energy-efficient. Grundfos has been able to get an advance look of what they project to be future efficiency requirements for water treatment plants, and the S-tube meets or exceeds all projected requirements.

The S-tube is also very easy to service. Thanks to AUTOADAPT, which is an “intelligent” module that adjusts operation to whatever condition it encounters, wastewater treatment plant personnel don’t even have to make any adjustments when conditions change. All they have to do is turn it on once, and operation is on autopilot for the life of the pump.

Grundfos has designed the S-tube to adapt to a variety of wastewater treatment applications, and fully intends for their product to, indeed, be the wastewater pump of the future.

In Perth, WA, and across Australia, years of hot, dry weather, have produced water shortages and watering restrictions. As in other parts of the world, processing rainwater and wastewater are becoming more essential to Australian life with each passing year.

We’re proud to carry Grundfos’ line of innovative products. Call 1300 922 973 to learn more.

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Pumps, Water Pumps Tagged With: , , , , ,

What is BIM-MEPAus and What Does it Mean to You?

One market segment that has a high demand for water pumps in Perth is builders. In March 2011, an initiative was formed and an alliance was signed between the Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors Association (ACMA) and Pump Industry Australia (PIA) to create a standard pump to be used as a standard or generic model, using Computer Aided Design (CAD).

Water PumpSo, they got together and created Building Information Design (BIM) models. Ideally, BIM was going to help create integrated digital prototypes and models to help builders finish their projects faster while saving money. The goal was to have what was called an integrated project delivery (IPD) model that provided everyone with the most advanced equipment.

Unfortunately, the BIM models weren’t compatible with building models that the consultants made for the contractors, so the end result was worse than putting square pegs in round holes. So, basically, the entire model had to be scrapped and rebuilt, causing a major headache and a lot of expense for all concerned.

To fix this, the entire building industry did something unprecedented: they cooperated with each other. They got together and created the BIM-MEPAus, which stands for Building Information Design-Mechanical, Electric, Plumbing Australia.

Grundfos was asked to work with other manufacturers in the pump group to develop prototypes according to common standards, workflows, specifications, and models. The pump group was the pioneer group, and their cooperation was used as a template for groups in other parts of the building and mechanical industries.

Many of the current models on the BIM-MEPAus website were created by Grundfos. Grundfos executives feel that it was important to cooperate and be a part of BIM-MEPAus to make it easier for their customers to do business with them.

So, what does this mean to you? It means that we have very quick access to all of the BIM pumps for those in the construction industry. We are the premier Grundfos importer in Australia, and we can find pretty much any pump you need from Grundfos.

Whether it’s a large order for an entire high-rise, or you just need one or two pumps for a small residential job, call us on 1300 922 973 for all of your construction needs.

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Pumps, Water Pumps Tagged With: , ,

Grundfos Leads the Way with Energy Saving Pumps

Sometimes, what happens thousands of miles away in Vancouver, British Columbia, can have an impact on water pumps in Perth, Australia. British Columbia is as cold as Australia is hot. They are mountainous while Australia is mostly shoreline, coastal cities and towns, and bushland, with the occasional rolling hill.

Pump

The common ground: energy conservation and sustainability. Vancouver is a coastal city that has numerous high-rise buildings. In the city, condos, hotels, and office buildings are usually very tall. With all of these high-rise buildings comes a big problem: maintaining water pressure on the top floors.

Nobody wants to rent in a building that can’t provide adequate water pressure to all of its occupants. In any building that is rented or leased, high occupancy makes the difference between making money or losing one’s shirt. Recently, the Sheraton Wall Centre decided to ask Grundfos for help.

The Sheraton Wall Centre occupies twin towers which are each 49 storeys tall. As many Vancouver area businesses do, the Sheraton is dedicated to being “green,” or doing its best to conserve energy and promote sustainability. When management discovered that they were expending excess energy to provide adequate water pressure, they called Grundfos in for a pump audit.

While some companies would have taken advantage of this and ripped out the old pumps to install all their own product, Grundfos Canada engineer Sherezad Shafiq was able to present a much more cost-effective solution that was almost totally non-disruptive of water service in the hotel.

After analysing the amount of water and the energy it took to get it there, the Grundfos solution was to simply install the MCP BoosterpaQ, which has three CR pumps with variable speed, along with a controller package. This produced the correct water pressure while saving energy.

Instead of a major install, all they did was put in the three new pumps on each building alongside of those already in use. When the pumps were put into action between 3am and 6am, there was almost no disruption of water service for the guests, and there were no complaints.

We can import virtually all Grundfos products. Call 1300 922 973 to find out how Grundfos can bring your high-rise energy costs down.

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Centrifugal Pumps, Pumps, Water Pumps Tagged With: , , , ,

Product Improvements from Fluid-o-Tech and Grundfos Ring in the New Year

First of all, we’d like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous 2013. We’d also like to thank the best people in the world for making it a great 2012: our customers.

The New Year is a great time to reflect on the past, learn from it, and look to the future. At Pump Solutions Australasia, we are constantly tweaking and adjusting our product line to meet the demands of the present and future, but we never forget who we were or who we are.

We started in 1990 as Pumps and Services Australia. Originally, we developed hydraulic and vacuum solutions for many different industries, including mining, manufacturing, and fishing. We designed and custom-built an automated vacuum system that the Geraldton Fish Markets would use to vastly decrease the time it took for fish to be transported from the fishing vessel to the wharf to be processed.

In 2000, we decided to stop manufacturing pumps and take advantage of our connections with the finest manufacturers in the world, including elite German and Italian companies, to provide Australians with a wide range of the best pumps in the world.
Pump

Finally, in 2008, we would become Pump Solutions Australasia. And now, we are Australia’s leading wholesalers and distributors of residential, commercial, and industrial pumps. We carry an incredible range of pumps for every situation and every need, from small residential buildings to large factories to large water processing facilities.

Two of our popular brands are Fluid-o-Tech and Grundfos. We’d like to tell you about a few changes and new products from both companies. Just as we are tweaking and adjusting our product lines, so are the great manufacturers. Fluid-o-Tech and Grundfos are always on the cutting edge of technological advances.

We’ll start with Fluid-o-Tech. Last year, Fluid-o-Tech changed the profile on their PO/PA 70-400 series pumps. They used to be built with the classic, finned profile, but they are now built with a completely smooth profile. Fluid-o-Tech had already adjusted the rest of their pumps to smoother, sleeker profiles to improve efficiency and aesthetics. The PO/PA 70-400 series is the latest in their product line to undergo this change for the better.

Building on the success of the first generation of their TMFR and TSFR lines, Fluid-o-Tech has produced a second generation of the entire TMFR and TSFR product lines. The first generation was an evolution in the industry, as it integrated a magnetic drive rotary vane pump with what would turn out to be a brilliant improvement: a DC brushless variable speed drive.

Since Fluid-o-Tech refuses to ever rest on their laurels, they have improved the line again for the second generation models, to optimise the series for every possible condition. New changes include a more versatile electronic controller, a lighter and more efficient motor, an external control board, and a wider speed range. The TMFR and TSFR can now adapt to changes in the pressure or temperature of their immediate environments.

Grundfos has also been busy. They introduced the new, Renewable Solar Inverter, which allows pump and pumping stations to operate with nothing but solar power. This allows Grundfos to design and build pumps for situations involving the transport of extremely large amounts of water. Since their pumps can now run on solar power, they can also be installed in more isolated situations, and can be used for the largest jobs in the country.

Since the price of solar panels has gone down over the years, due to increased demand and more efficient production, Grundfos pumps can provide efficient but reasonably-priced solutions to nearly every need.

Grundfos also announced the new range of high-performing axial flow pumps with a feature called the “Unique Turbulence Optimiser.” The line is called the KPL Axial-flow Propeller Pump. The KPL is an axial flow propeller pump that is designed to produce high flow at low head. It has a flow capacity as high as 700 m3/min at a head of up to 9m. It is designed for flood control, but is quite versatile, and can be used for any situation where a lot of water needs to be pumped.

Grundfos custom-builds each KPL pump to ensure cost-efficient performance, and encourages customers to talk to their engineers in the planning stages to ensure that the pump is optimised to each customer’s individual needs. Some projected uses besides flood control: drainage and irrigation, raw-water intake, use in water parks to circulate large quantities of water, filling or emptying reservoirs, and even treated sewage.

Grundfos guarantees high quality, and a product that is both effective and cost-effective. They consider it to be the best value for your money; they individually test and register each pump.

That’s it for now: Happy New Year.

Filed Under: Blog Posts, Pumps Tagged With: , , , ,