NEWSDESK
Major thermodynamic pump test breakthrough for MWD
A successful pilot project for The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) has proved the superior speed, cost reduction and accuracy of thermodynamic pump testing.
Funded by non-for-profit collective,Waterstart,MWDused Riventa’s portable thermodynamic system to test a 7.5MW pump at one of its crucial pumping stations on the Southern California Aqueduct that together with another eight pumps, provides 1.5 billion gallons of drinkingwater (daily) to the 19 million people of southern Los Angeles.
‘A much clearer picture than ever before of exactly howthis pump is performing’
David Sadamoto, Senior Engineer atMWDsaid: “WhenWaterstart first brought Riventa’s technology to our attention,we had quite a job convincing ourselves, because the claims being made sounded so very superior to the conventional approach, which relies on traditional flow measurement that is subject to significant uncertainties. However,we soon sawthe detail of the math in the continuous data, which gave us a much clearer picture than ever before of exactly howthis pump is performing, which is vital for reliability, and uses just a fraction of the manpower required to carry out a robust conventional test”.
To fully compare,MWDran their own standard test, asMarty Smith, explained:
“We’ve always tried to monitor the performance of our pumps as best we possibly can, but with Riventawe’ve made a major breakthrough, especially when you get right down to aMillikelvin!
“Acoustic flowmeters can do a reasonable job, but nothing like this, which also benefits from being much easier; gaining the flowdata and horse power losses by simply tapping into the pump’s suction and
Riventa has been successfully
testing a 7.5MWpump at one of the crucial pumping stations on the Southern California Aqueduct.
discharge nipples.With acoustic flowmeterswe’d need 10 metres of upstream pipe and another 5 metres downstream, which is expensive and time-consuming. Conventional testing is also very labor-intensive; takes about 200 manhours of planning, and also presents difficulties with achieving known accuracies”.
Located two mileswest of the Intake Plant, the pumping station where the Riventa monitoring took place liftswater from the Gene Wash Reservoir 303 feet to the Copper Basin Reservoir, at an elevation of 1,037 feet.
The pathway that led toMWDtrialling this thermodynamic testing began when Riventa attended a TAG (Technology Acceptance Group) customer forum arranged by Isle Utilities, whereWaterstart sawthe potential of this innovative means of maximizing asset data.
Michael Thomas, BoardMember atWaterstart, said: “We soon sawhow Riventa’s Thermodynamic testing could offerMWDa very practical, sustainable solution. By us helping offset the initial risk of a trial, it is very encouraging to see just howwell the pilot hasworked”.
The ongoing drought, theworst that theMWDengineers sawthat they have ever known, has added another layer of pressure to the already demanding role to meet supply – so the pilot with Riventa – delayed by Covid for two years – had to be carried out within a very tight windowof opportunity.
Marty Smith, who hasworked atMWDfor over 30 years, continued:“To pause this big pump for the testwas a huge deal. Not gettingwater to Los Angeles is not an option (!), but Riventa andWaterstartworked very closely with us to make everything happen in a very tight time slot. To be frank, this has all been quite a remarkable turnaround, considering that whenwe first looked at the claims of the technology, we almost rejected it out of hand!”.
‘Able to see true levels of reliability’
He added:“Aswell as the accuracy, another big advantage with Riventa is that the cost does not increase with scale.We have found this thermodynamic testing to be a very cost-effective and efficient way of implementing new technology. Being able to see true levels of reliability of our pumps – and check that they are in good shape, is very important. Power is a big deal, so measuring any true losses in efficiency will allowus to fully understand howour pump is operating”.
Riventa’s Technical Director, Tom Clifford, commented:“Getting to work withMWDon demonstrating howthis prestigious pumping station can be optimised has been challenging yet extremely rewarding for all concerned.We hope to build on the pilot and deliver an installed solution that helpsMWDmanage these assets long into the future”.
‘Validated data that gives us confidence’
MWD’s David Sadamoto, concluded:“So far, it is all very positive, with validated data that gives us confidence by helping greatly with our methodology. Riventa have done a tremendous job for us. brings everything to life; head, flow, power, efficiency – and so quickly. It is a very elegant solution”.
20 | July 2023 |
www.draintraderltd.com
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