Case study: Pump saves water company 260,000 kWh

Two pump systems were analysed

One of the Netherlands' biggest suppliers of drinking water pumps, purifies and distributes 5.4 million m3 of water each year to the citizens of Hengelo, Zelhem, Steenderen, Hummelo, Hoog-Keppel, Laag-Keppel, Zutphen, Ruurlo and Borculo.

The company suspected that it was consuming too much electricity and therefore there was scope for improvement. The company had to take a closer look at two of its pump systems—in the areas of purification and distribution—to gain an insight into how much water was being pumped and how much that was costing in terms of energy. The drinking water supplier had collected performance data for the reactor pumps, as they are known, that are used for purification, but none for the pumps used for distribution (often called clean water pumps for short).

Focus on optimising energy, not reducing energy

Reducing electricity consumption and thereby also reducing costs through optimisation may sound appealing, but the company was understandably unwilling to make any concessions to the quality of its drinking water and the surety of its supply. Another stipulation was that any optimisation measures be recouped within a short amount of time and be practical to implement. Optimisation can be achieved by utilising the latest technology and speed regulation as well as an optimal system design.

New foundation pumps

Examination of the data collected from the reactor pumps revealed that it was indeed possible to save energy. To gain a proper insight into the performance and load profile of the clean water pumps as well as the profitability of the system, it was necessary to perform a pump audit. This too revealed substantial saving potential. New pumps were selected for both systems on the basis of their suitability for the application. The costs for these pumps were calculated and compared with those for the current systems.

Next, ERIKS discussed its proposals with the drinking water supplier in detail. The company was convinced by ERIKS plan to optimise costs by equipping both systems with a total of four new standard foundation pumps. As specified, no concessions were made to the quality and surety of supply. Furthermore, the pumps were easy to install — something that was considered at length during the design stage, as converting machinery has a significant effect on the time taken to recoup the costs.

Even greater savings

After the pumps were delivered and installed, the electricity consumption of the pumps was reviewed. It was revealed that the production company's annual consumption had been reduced by as much as 200,000 kWh.

The post-implementation audit of the clean water pumps also showed that an even greater saving could be made by shifting the switching points. In addition, the drinking water supplied researched the effect of reducing the pressure in the network and discovered that such a reduction would be possible. Combined, both of these measures result in a saving of 60,000 kWh per year, bringing the total energy saving to 260,000 kWh per year.

For industrial end-users, there is enormous saving potential as regards energy costs and CO2 emissions. Several of ERIKS' customers have achieved significant savings in terms of CO2 emissions, energy consumption and maintenance costs.

Full range of pumps

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Supplier reduction

ERIKS has an extensive international network of pump suppliers. We can almost always provide a good solution. Because we are impartial, you will receive good advice. If required, we will look at alternatives that are, for example, available more quickly, offer a better technical solution or are more advantageous.

Why you should choose ERIKS as your pump supplier:

• Impartial with a wide network of suppliers
• Single point of contact
• Wide range of products (valves, pumps, power transmission)
• All products you order from ERIKS on a single invoice

Total cost of ownership

ERIKS does not only look at the initial investment in a pump, but also at the pump's operating costs (total cost of ownership). We are happy to advise you about how the total cost of ownership of your existing pump installations can be reduced.

We look at:

• Initial investment
• Energy consumption
• Pump efficiency
• Availability of the pump and parts
• Customer experiences

Advice and optimisation

We aim to select the optimum pump. We closely examine the application in which the pump is used and the fluid which it conveys. We use our years of knowledge of mechanical engineering components and applications to provide you with the best possible advice and to meet your wishes. With our extensive network of supplier and customers, we are always aware of the latest product and market developments.

Pump training
We are happy to share our knowledge and offer training so that you are able to optimise your own pump systems. If you are interested in the options, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Asset management

Unexpected downtime often means high costs. Unfortunately this is increasingly the case because pump installations are getting older or are more complex and more expensive. We will help you produce more efficiently and cost-effectively. Where previously the focus was on corrective maintenance, we are now moving increasingly to preventive maintenance. In the near future we will be shifting to predictive maintenance.

To gain a better understanding of pumps, ERIKS has drawn up the Pump Survey. The objectives of the survey are:

• Improving uptime
• Minimising unexpected costs
• Gaining insight into the status of assets
• Gaining insight into upcoming costs
• Reducing the mean time between failure
• Reducing the mean time to repair
• Improving the safety of the working environment

What does ERIKS do during a Pump Survey?

Inventory: The first step is taking a comprehensive inventory of all pumps and stock. We look at the status of the asset and the criticality of the asset. In addition to information about the pump, data on the application/the process is collected for the most critical assets.

Identify: When the assets are chosen, they are identified using tags. The data is accessed via an online platform. You always have up-to-date information at your disposal.

Advise: Based on the inventory, we compile an overview which is classified by criticality. We provide advice and a strategy for spare parts is determined.

Monitor: By monitoring the status and storing data about service and repairs, we can see where there is room for optimisation. ERIKS offers tools to monitor pumps in real-time so that any faults can be discovered at an early stage.

Optimise: By analysing the results from the identification, advice and monitoring phases, optimisation measures can be determined. For example, by reducing the number of suppliers, switching to a different type of pump or improving the application.

If you would like to know more about the Pump Survey, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Contacting our pump specialists

We understand that every application is different and that every project is a fresh challenge. That is why our product specialists are at hand to provide you with personal advice and in-depth product knowledge. Call us on +31 (072)72 514 15 14 or email us at pompen@eriks.nl.