The system shown above can pump water for 8 miles with a terrain rise of 180 feet. A source of water is drawn into a 50 HP electric pump which delivers 190 ft-head of pressure. The same pump is used in a relay pumping configuration.
The electric pumps are made by Power-Flo Pumps and are designed to operate under water in a fully submerged condition.
The pumps are utilized by "construction" and "utility" type contractors for portable use which involves constant transportation in utility trucks
and pickup trucks.
They are lowered into manholes with concrete bottoms and are used at construction sites, open pit mining, and in factories for stationary and portable use.
In some cases the pumps are utilized on board ships for deck washdown, bilge dewatering and fire protection (also referred to as "damage control pumps").
The hard anodized aluminum construction with stainless steel hardware for both internal and external components makes for a rugged design.
Click HERE for the pump spec and use the back button on your browser to return.
The pump is powered by a Generator which supplies 2400 Volts 3-phase. The water is pumped into a 6 inch Large Diameter Hose (LDH) at a rate of 400 gallons per minute (gpm). Four electric wires are attached to the hose in order to supply 3-phase power and ground to the four 50 HP pumps at transformers T2 to T5. The pumps work well in a "relay pumping" system. Cavitation is not a problem. As long as a pump can move water or air past the motor through the internal passage between the outer shell and the inner motor frame, the pump will operate safely. The water or air allows for heat dissipation from the motor. The lower or outboard seal is made of silicon carbide which is able to run dry without cracking. The inner seal is in an oil bath environment. The data network can be used to monitor when water reaches a pump, and the pumps can be controlled by the data network.
The data network is NOT Ethernet. I propose a data network from Echelon Corporation which is invisible to the user. It this application, it is a hardwired system that does not even need a Personal Computer. It can work over long distances over any wire pair. It has been in use for over 15 years. Click HERE to go to the Echelon Corporation website.
The pump at the water source uses its own wires and does not contribute to the current in the wires that run along the 6 inch LDH.
The wires used are waterproof, flexible, and very rugged.
Click HERE for a wire data sheet. The wire to be used is the #4 AWG.
At each of the five 50 HP pumps, there is a 45 KVA transformer (T) which steps down the 2400 Volts to the 460/480 Volts needed by the pumps.
The transformer proposed is from Federal Pacific, catalog # GT()S45H. Its dimensions are 48 x 36 x 20 inches and it weighs 600 lbs.
The 50 HP pumps each weighs 360 lbs. The pump and transformer can both be permanently installed in the bed of a 4WD pickup truck.
The truck is driven to the end of a hose segment where a pump and transformer are needed.
The 6 inch hose, when delivering 400 gpm, has a pressure drop of 13.8 ft-head per 1000 feet (or 1 kft).
Each 50 HP pump has 190 ft-head @ 400 gpm, so 190/13.8 = 13,768 feet, on flat terrain, before another pump is needed.
Because of voltage drop in the wires, the distance between pumps is chosen to be 2 miles or 10.560 kft.
13.8 ft-head/kft x 10.56 kft = 145 ft-head lost to hose friction. 190 - 145 = 45 ft-head, so an elevation rise of 45 feet is allowed per pump.
45 x 4 = 180 feet rise total over the 8 miles.
Each pump requires 56 Amps at 460 Volts. Because of its transformer, each pump draws only 2400/5 = 11.2 Amps from the 2400 Volt wires.
Thus the maximum current in the wires is 4 x 11.2 Amps = 44.8 Amps which can be handled by the #4 gauge wires.
The system uses 3 phase Ground Fault Interrupters to prevent electric shocks in the case of equipment failure.
There is a data network that also runs the length of the LDH pipeline. It is used to monitor and control different parameters of the system.
When firefighters are about to connect a new length of LDH to the end of a deployed section of LDH, a special GPS unit is connected to the end of the deployed section. The GPS sends the Latitude, Longitude, and Elevation of the LDH end. The computer at the beginning of the system decides whether or not a pump is needed at the location by using the GPS variables. The computer sends instructions to the firefighters via the network.
The data network can also be used for voice communication if radio communications are unsatisfactory.
The patent application, on the home page, contains many details and features of the system.
Click HERE to see a detailed description of the system voltages and currents.
BACK
The electric pumps are made by Power-Flo Pumps and are designed to operate under water in a fully submerged condition.
The pumps are utilized by "construction" and "utility" type contractors for portable use which involves constant transportation in utility trucks
and pickup trucks.
They are lowered into manholes with concrete bottoms and are used at construction sites, open pit mining, and in factories for stationary and portable use.
In some cases the pumps are utilized on board ships for deck washdown, bilge dewatering and fire protection (also referred to as "damage control pumps").
The hard anodized aluminum construction with stainless steel hardware for both internal and external components makes for a rugged design.
Click HERE for the pump spec and use the back button on your browser to return.
The pump is powered by a Generator which supplies 2400 Volts 3-phase. The water is pumped into a 6 inch Large Diameter Hose (LDH) at a rate of 400 gallons per minute (gpm). Four electric wires are attached to the hose in order to supply 3-phase power and ground to the four 50 HP pumps at transformers T2 to T5. The pumps work well in a "relay pumping" system. Cavitation is not a problem. As long as a pump can move water or air past the motor through the internal passage between the outer shell and the inner motor frame, the pump will operate safely. The water or air allows for heat dissipation from the motor. The lower or outboard seal is made of silicon carbide which is able to run dry without cracking. The inner seal is in an oil bath environment. The data network can be used to monitor when water reaches a pump, and the pumps can be controlled by the data network.
The data network is NOT Ethernet. I propose a data network from Echelon Corporation which is invisible to the user. It this application, it is a hardwired system that does not even need a Personal Computer. It can work over long distances over any wire pair. It has been in use for over 15 years. Click HERE to go to the Echelon Corporation website.
The pump at the water source uses its own wires and does not contribute to the current in the wires that run along the 6 inch LDH.
The wires used are waterproof, flexible, and very rugged.
Click HERE for a wire data sheet. The wire to be used is the #4 AWG.
At each of the five 50 HP pumps, there is a 45 KVA transformer (T) which steps down the 2400 Volts to the 460/480 Volts needed by the pumps.
The transformer proposed is from Federal Pacific, catalog # GT()S45H. Its dimensions are 48 x 36 x 20 inches and it weighs 600 lbs.
The 50 HP pumps each weighs 360 lbs. The pump and transformer can both be permanently installed in the bed of a 4WD pickup truck.
The truck is driven to the end of a hose segment where a pump and transformer are needed.
The 6 inch hose, when delivering 400 gpm, has a pressure drop of 13.8 ft-head per 1000 feet (or 1 kft).
Each 50 HP pump has 190 ft-head @ 400 gpm, so 190/13.8 = 13,768 feet, on flat terrain, before another pump is needed.
Because of voltage drop in the wires, the distance between pumps is chosen to be 2 miles or 10.560 kft.
13.8 ft-head/kft x 10.56 kft = 145 ft-head lost to hose friction. 190 - 145 = 45 ft-head, so an elevation rise of 45 feet is allowed per pump.
45 x 4 = 180 feet rise total over the 8 miles.
Each pump requires 56 Amps at 460 Volts. Because of its transformer, each pump draws only 2400/5 = 11.2 Amps from the 2400 Volt wires.
Thus the maximum current in the wires is 4 x 11.2 Amps = 44.8 Amps which can be handled by the #4 gauge wires.
The system uses 3 phase Ground Fault Interrupters to prevent electric shocks in the case of equipment failure.
There is a data network that also runs the length of the LDH pipeline. It is used to monitor and control different parameters of the system.
When firefighters are about to connect a new length of LDH to the end of a deployed section of LDH, a special GPS unit is connected to the end of the deployed section. The GPS sends the Latitude, Longitude, and Elevation of the LDH end. The computer at the beginning of the system decides whether or not a pump is needed at the location by using the GPS variables. The computer sends instructions to the firefighters via the network.
The data network can also be used for voice communication if radio communications are unsatisfactory.
The patent application, on the home page, contains many details and features of the system.
Click HERE to see a detailed description of the system voltages and currents.
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