Energy Efficient Industrial Water Treatment: Process Equipment Requirements

Energy Efficient Industrial Water Treatment: Process Equipment Requirements

Industrial water treatment is necessary for many processes such as boiler water treatment, water cooling towers, chemical manufacturing, paints, pulp, and paper manufacturing, and many other applications. Water is a vital natural resource and different industrial uses require different water treatment options based on the process, the water source, and the quality of water required. Safe and efficient industrial wastewater treatment must prevent environmental contamination and pose no risk to human health.

Recycling water for reuse in industrial applications is performed with reliable pumps and process equipment. Choosing the right types of pumps and process equipment for each specific application is critical to achieving operational efficiencies, worker safety, and water quality.

Pumps for Water Treatment: Flow Variability and Pressure Stability

The requirement for water treatment applications is increasing worldwide due to increased industrialization, urbanization, and global energy demand on top of a decline in freshwater resources. Pumps and process equipment provide valuable water treatment due to a rising focus on water quality and strict government regulations. The industrial wastewater treatment market requires a pump and process equipment system that can easily be integrated into their process and will provide reliable information on water quality. Industrial water treatment processes must also be efficient and safe for workers and the environment.

Pumps in industrial water treatment processes must be able to flexibly handle variations in flow rate while providing energy efficiency at the same time. In order to meet these demands, the pump system must provide flow variability and pressure stability. Pumps must be able to account for any variability in the requirements for water supply and ultra-filtration process systems. Even in what can be described as “fixed-flow units,” a great amount of variability can occur. Water supply restrictions, fluctuations in process, and even seasonality may cause variations in flow rate.

Ensuring that your pump is equipped with the right drive to control flow and energy in an efficient manner without wasting energy, such as with a throttling valve, helps to improve overall process efficiency. Constant pressure control can also be enabled for a pump’s membrane system regardless of water supply changes or variability in discharge pressure.

Saving Energy With Water Treatment Pumps and Process Equipment

Pumps and motors typically abide by the basic affinity laws that show that reducing motor speed decreases the consumption of energy to the third power. End users will often decrease the flow on a fixed speed pump with a throttling valve which can significantly waste money and energy. This problem is only exacerbated when pumps are oversized in the first place during the process equipment design phase.

Throttling the pump also causes a decrease in efficiency and can consume more power. Pumps equipped with a drive allow users to target the exact pressure and flow requirements, save large amounts of energy, and provide improved efficiencies.

Process Equipment Designed for Efficient Industrial Water Treatment

Illinois Process Equipment, IPE, is a leading Midwest supplier of quality pumps and process equipment, including a wide range of value-added services. We are set apart from other pump suppliers with our technical expertise and are fully integrated pump services which include complete process equipment system design, engineering, installation and testing of pump equipment, technical capabilities, service, repair, and maintenance.

IPE is Chicagoland’s premier industrial pump and process equipment supplier, offering quality pumps from the best pump manufacturers. We are a Grundfos authorized service center familiar with providing integrated pumping solutions customized to meet your specific requirements while improving efficiencies and safety. Contact us to speak with an engineer about improving your industrial water treatment process to improve productivity and enhance profitability with quality pumps and equipment services.