Flygt Pumps Conquer Constant Inflow of Ground Water, Prevent Flooding

Construction of a hydroelectric power plant required Xylem to create a pump solution to prevent jobsite flooding from ground water

Flygt 2201 pumps with a VFD and transducer, auto control panels, and a Godwin Dri-Prime HL5M diesel-drive pump as a backup pump helped prevent flooding on a hydroelectric power plant construction site.
Flygt 2201 pumps with a VFD and transducer, auto control panels, and a Godwin Dri-Prime HL5M diesel-drive pump as a backup pump helped prevent flooding on a hydroelectric power plant construction site.

The challenge:

Find a pump solution that can keep work areas from flooding with the constant inflow of ground water on the jobsite

The players:

Alberici Baker Joint Venture LLC
Xylem

The process:

The construction of a hydroelectric power plant on the shores of the Ohio River required a pumping solution to keep work areas from flooding. More than 100 feet below the surface, the constant inflow of ground water presented a flooding risk to the jobsite. Xylem worked with Alberici Baker Joint Venture LLC (ABJV), to develop a pumping solution to support an electric pumping solution with diesel backup to move between 850 and 1,700 gpm of ground water from the construction site.

Xylem’s solution was two Flygt 2201 pumps with a VFD and transducer, auto control panels, and a Godwin Dri-Prime HL5M diesel-drive pump as a backup pump. The primary 2201 pump runs on a VFD to match the flow entering the channel up to 850 gpm at 150 feet total dynamic head. When flow requirements were over 850 gpm, the auto control panel on the secondary 2201 pump automatically started the pump to increase capacity another 850 gpm at 150 feet total dynamic head. The diesel HL5M Dri-Prime pump, with a standard float system, activated in times of power outages.

Each Flygt pump included independent 6-inch HDPE discharge pipe to maximize flow capacities. One pump system was fitted with a wye and gate valve to support the backup diesel system during power outages. Each system contained check valves to prevent water hammer and recirculation.

After four months of running, ABJV had not experienced any downtime or equipment damage resulting from the inflow of ground waters. ABJV also worked with Xylem on a similar system for the east side of the construction project.

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