Energy efficiency is at the forefront of many industries. In an average household, 50% of your energy costs are due to your drinking water pump.

Worldwide, 20% of the electric energy dissipated is due to pumping systems, while 16% of facilities electricity costs are generated by pumping systems.

When the stability and cost efficiency is dependent on the grade and longevity of your water system, you would be well advised to make sure that you find ways to improve energy efficiency.

In this article, we will share with you seven ways to improve energy efficiency of your water pump.

 

1. Avoid Oversizing Your Pump. 

Oversizing your pump will result in unnecessary consumption and filters down to the added cost of electricity.

As a rule, pumps are generally oversized by 20-30% upon installation. Oversized pumps will increase your costs and increase energy usage.

Oversizing to a small degree can cater to uncertainties in the design process. Selecting the right pump for optimal efficiency will reduce energy usage.

 

 2. Impeller Trimming

Should your water pump be oversized, you can trim the impeller economically to reduce the pressure and flow produced.

Trimming the impeller is more cost-effective than using a throttle valve to achieve the necessary duty.

A variable speed drive is the best solution when looking for energy efficiency.

 3. Variable Frequency Drives

These drives aid in varying the rotational speed of the motor to get the best flow demand. Variable drives limit unnecessary energy consumption to slow down the motor or adjust the duty demand at different times.

A good example is a cooling pump where the temperature of the liquid or equipment needs to get cooled at varying intervals.

 

 4. Parallel Pumping Systems

An alternative solution to Variable Frequency Drives is running multiple pumps. In high energy usage systems, a single pump may not run as effectively as possible, causing damage to the system and pump.

A pump that is running past its performance capabilities will end up costing the company more money.

A secondary pump will aid in relieving the burden on the system operating below capacity.

 

 5. Limit Pipework Pressure Loss

Another way of saving energy is to limit frictional pipework pressure. Limiting pressure in the pipe reduces the power that a pump requires to overcome losses.

Factors that contribute are diameter, length, internal surface layout, and internal components.

During installation, focus on the number of bends, contractions, and expansions installed throughout the system. Optimizing these factors will make sure that there is no unnecessary energy usage.

Valves specified for the installation should have a low-pressure drop. Friction inside the pipe causes extra energy use making the diameter of the pipe an important factor.

Materials used are also intricate to the process; some systems with heavy usage require a more robust material that is more costly initially but will pay for itself in the end. Materials being expensive means that corners are cut in the diameter of the pipes, which is a mistake. Valves fitted should have as low a pressure as possible.

 

 6. Eliminate Unnecessary Usage

This may seem like common sense, but it often happens that pumps are in operation unnecessarily. Control systems are the solutions to this as they can be used to shut down pumps not required to be in use.

Controls systems will allow you to operate standby pumps, use pressure switches, and control the number of pumps in service for when the duty requirements change.

With a control system, you can operate your system under optimal conditions and not waste unnecessary energy or run multiple pumps simultaneously.

 

 7. Carry out Maintenance

Routine maintenance schedules for your pump systems will ensure that you are running at the best energy consumption.

Keeping up with the wear and tear to parts such as wear rings is vital to prevent leakage and power needed to operate.

Energy efficiency can be reduced by as much as 25% before replacement making it your top priority to manage the systems moving parts regularly.

There are two categories of maintenance:

• Preventative – this includes removing contaminants, making periodic adjustments, and making sure there is enough lubrication.
• Predictive – revealing deterioration before it causes breakdowns will save time and money.

In addition to the above, you can also pay attention to the control valves; they control both the flow and the pressure to reduce energy.

Control valves have two objectives:

• Throttle the flow – reducing the water flowing through the pipes
• Bypass the flow – reducing excess pressure by diverting water

In closing

Choosing the right pump will ensure that your system is energy efficient since 50% of your electricity bill is attributed to the pump.

Saving energy and reducing costs is an intricate part of running any business. No company can afford the downtime and delays caused by breakages and inefficiencies.

If you need help improving the or just with choosing the best suited water pump for your needs, then contact Jordan Pumps today!