Itubombas (Atlas Copco Rental Brazil) designs special diesel pump installation for state sanitation company
5 February, 2019
Did you know that in Brazil each household uses 108.4 liters water per day? The 2.6 million inhabitants of the Brazilian city of Salvador are no exception. Just like every other city, Salvador depends on a complex sewer system to drain used water. However, the sewer system of Salvador is outdated and thus suffers from many leakages.
Challenges: flow demand & quick assembly
We had to come up with a solution to avoid further damage to the streets and the sewage system. This proved a challenge in more than one way: the bypass would have to handle the significant flow fluctuations throughout the day and cause minimal disruption to residents and passersby.
The maximum flow demanded by the customer was 3200 m³/h. In order to meet this demand and control the flow variation, the pumps had to operate in parallel AND had to be equipped with a flow alteration system. This system ensures that the flow provided by the pumps automatically matches the prevailing flow demand.
Furthermore, to minimize the disruption, the surface pipelines of the installation had to be laid on the ground over a length of 350 metres. The extra difficulty here was the 2 x 16 inch diameter of the pipe in combination with the high pressure demand. Normally a pipe with a large diameter requires about 8 lines of 8-inch holes.
Inserting the large number of bolts and screws needed to weld all these different sections of the pipe together would be very time-consuming. We thus needed to come up with an innovative solution and designed a pipe without joints, where the ends of the pipes can be slided into one another.
The advantages of this innovation? Along with a rapid assembly, it saves the client a lot of money.
With the local residents and passersby in mind, we equipped the pump installation with the newest vacuum automatic priming technology. This technology reduces the level of noise emanating from the diesel pumps. It creates a vacuum that removes any air present from the suction piping and pumps. As the vacuum level increases, the water level rises at a predictable rate until each pump is fully flooded . Compare it to a propeller that pushes the liquid through the pump.
“Our team really made the difference”
The project ran over a period of 3 months and was successfully concluded.
The reactive and creative mindset of our team really made the difference. The customer appreciated the innovative solution we designed especially for them. This project has created many new opportunities and has put Atlas Copco Rental on the map! The customer’s project team even received a special company prize for the innovative operational technology
For more information please contact:
- Olivia Gambin, Communications Manager Specialty Rental Division - olivia.gambin@be.atlascopco.com - Phone: +32 3 750 82 87
- Rodrigo Law, Country Manager, Itubombas Locaçao de Motobombas - rodrigo@itubombas.com.br
Atlas Copco Group Great ideas accelerate innovation. At Atlas Copco we have been turning industrial ideas into business-critical benefits since 1873. By listening to our customers and knowing their needs, we deliver value and innovate with the future in mind. Atlas Copco is based in Stockholm, Sweden with customers in more than 180 countries and about 37 000 employees. Revenues of BSEK 95/ 9 BEUR in 2018. Learn more at www.atlascopcogroup.com. Specialty Rental is a division within Atlas Copco’s Power Technique business area. It serves customers in all industry segments around the world with temporary air, power, flow, steam and nitrogen rental solutions. The specialty rental services are offered under several brands. The divisional headquarters is located in Belgium.