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Lecture 3 - Sewage Pumping - 11.02.2024

The document discusses sewage pumping stations, their necessity, and the challenges faced in sewage pumping, including clogging and health hazards. It details the preparation of sewage for pumping, types of pumps used, and the components of pumping stations, emphasizing the importance of maintenance and reliability. Additionally, it outlines the operational controls and maintenance practices required to ensure efficient sewage management.

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Gloria Cherotich
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1 views

Lecture 3 - Sewage Pumping - 11.02.2024

The document discusses sewage pumping stations, their necessity, and the challenges faced in sewage pumping, including clogging and health hazards. It details the preparation of sewage for pumping, types of pumps used, and the components of pumping stations, emphasizing the importance of maintenance and reliability. Additionally, it outlines the operational controls and maintenance practices required to ensure efficient sewage management.

Uploaded by

Gloria Cherotich
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

February 2024

Lecture 3
Public Health Engineering II
Sewage Pumping

1.0 Introduction
A sewage pumping station, is a storage and collection chamber that lifts and distributes wastewater or sewage
when it cannot naturally be carried by gravity.

2.0 Necessity of Pumping


It is necessary to pump wastewater under the following conditions:

▪ To drain off a low-lying area, when the rest of the sewerage system being drained gravitationally
cannot be lowered to facilitate the drainage of the low-lying area.
▪ When the land is flat and laying sewers at their proper grades could mean expensive excavation.
In such a case, sewage may be lifted at intervals and subsequent sewers laid at reasonable depth
below the surface.
▪ When the outfall sewer is lower than the entrance to the treatment works or the body of water
into which sewage is discharged for dilution.
▪ When a sewer has to go across a high ridge. Instead of driving a tunnel, pumping sewage into
sewers laid across the slope of the ridge at a reasonable depth may be more economical.
▪ When basements of buildings are too low to discharge sewage to the main sewer.
▪ Pumping may also be essential for transferring sludge from settling tank to sludge digestion tank.
▪ In modern treatment plants, recirculation of the effluent is very common to achieve better
purification. Recirculation is possibly only, if sewage is lifted after completion of each cycle
▪ At treatment works, also sewage may have to be lifted at certain places to make it possible for the
sewage to flow to its various treatment units under gravity.

3.0 Problems in Sewage Pumping


The following problems could be encountered in sewage pumping:
▪ Sewage has foul characteristics.
▪ Sewage contains a lot of suspended and floating materials which may make the running of pumps
difficult and may cause frequent clogging of pumps
▪ Sewage contains organic and inorganic wastes which may damage and clog pumps.
▪ Sewage contains organic and inorganic wastes which may cause corrosion and erosion of parts of
pumps and reduce the life of pumps.
▪ Sewage contains disease producing bacteria and organisms which may cause health hazards to
persons
▪ The rate of flow of sewage varies continuously and hence pumping operations are adjusted
accordingly.
▪ The size of sump is limited since large sized sumps will result in settlements of silt and organic
matter at its bottom.
▪ The pumps should be of high order reliability since failure of pumps will lead to flooding which
may cause unbearable nuisance.

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The following are some of the special characteristics:


▪ Sewage has lot of suspended and floating solids. They cause very frequent clogging of pumps.
▪ Sewage contains organic and inorganic wastes. They may act upon the pumping equipment and
may corrode them and reduce their life.
▪ Biological life of sewage including disease producing bacteria are dangerous for health.
▪ The flow of incoming sewage is not constant, and keeps on fluctuating from time to time. Due to
this aspect, pumping has to be adjusted accordingly by opening different units of pumps having
different pumping capacities.
▪ Wet wells or sump wells are made of smaller capacities. This is done with a view to avoid
prolonged detention times, which may otherwise cause deposition of grit and organic solids.
Deposited grit and organic solids start putrefying and cause nuisance for the operating staff. Sump
wells or wet wells are designed to give only a little balancing effect and the rate of pumping has
to be adjusted continuously to the rate of inflow of sewage.
▪ Sewage pump has to be very reliable, otherwise, it will cause flooding and nuisance. Since sewage
also carries a number of disease-producing bacteria, it may prove even worse for public health if
flooding nuisance is allowed to prevail. Therefore, reliability of pumps has to be of very outmost
importance.

4.0 Preparation of Sewage for Pumping


It is desirable to remove as much of the coarser floating material is difficult at lift station, because it involves
screening out the larger solids and removing and disposing them daily.
Lift station is a small pumping station, installed on the sewer line at a certain point where depth of excavation
for sewer laying has become prohibitive. From this point onward the sewer line is started laying with very small
excavation. When the sewer line again goes into heavy excavation a similar lift station is again installed.
For large pumping station, however, screens are commonly used in advance of the pumps to reduce the
possibility of the pump being clogged and damaged by large sticks and rags.
Grit is also removed in advance of pumping, where possible: this measure reduces wear on pumps. A grit
chamber and a screening device are commonly included among the units of sewage treatment plant.

5.0 Pumps for Sewage Pumping


The standardization of pumping stations and their equipment is very desirable. It simplifies design,
maintenance and repair, and the training of operatives; it also reduces considerably the number of spare
parts which must be kept in store against breakdowns.

The following are some of the pumps commonly used in a sewage pumping station:
a. Centrifugal pumps
b. Reciprocating pumps
c. Pneumatic ejectors
d. Air-lift pumps

5.1 Centrifugal Pumps


Sewage contains rags, sticks and such other materials which render sewage difficult to pump. Therefore, an
important characteristic of a sewage pump should be its ability to operate without clogging. As an added
precaution, the interior of pump should be easily accessible for cleaning or removal of obstructions. In

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February 2024

addition, since the head pumped against is generally small, efficiency of the pump is of minor importance for
most installations.

Centrifugal pumps are available in non-clog designs. They are reliable in operation, relatively cheap in cost,
and easy to maintain. Operational cost is low and require less space for installation. They make less noise than
other pumps. They have high efficiency.

Installation
Centrifugal pumps may be installed submerged beneath the sewage in the wet well or pumps may be
installed in dry well or dry pit below the sewage level in the wet well.

Operation of the pump


To ensure proper operation and control each unit should be equipped with:
▪ A meter on the discharge pipe
▪ Gauges on both the suction and discharge pipes
▪ A characteristic curve that will enable the operator to detect quickly any failure of the pump’s
intended performance
▪ An independent, short, straight suction pipe, free from high points
▪ An air-release valve located at the highest point in the casing to release air or gas, which may
accumulate in the pump regardless of its; location.
▪ A check valve between the pump and gate valve, on the discharge line.

5.2 Reciprocating Pumps


Reciprocating pumps are less employed these days, due to their high initial cost, difficulty in maintenance and
greater wear and tear of valves.

6.0 Sewage Pumping Stations


Components parts of a large pumping station:
▪ Grit channel of detritus pit
▪ Screens, coarse and fine
▪ Sumps or wet wells or receiving wells
▪ Power units and pumping sets with float switch arrangements.
▪ Inlet or low-level sewer and rising main to outlet or high-level sewer
▪ Emergency overflows or by-pass to remove sewage during emergencies
▪ Ventilation arrangements such as fans

7.0 Types of Pumping Stations


7.1 Wet-Well Sewage Pumping Stations
Wet-well sewage pumping stations are more expensive but offer greater flexibility since they can be used in
any soil. They consist of a large underground tank that stores wastewater until the pump can process it. Wet-
well stations are also less likely to clog since the wastewater is constantly circulated.

A float is provided in the sump well for the automatic starting and closing of the pumps.
Arrangements for going down the wet well should be provided and proper ventilation arrangements made.

The depth of the well depends upon the depth of the outfall sewer, bringing sewage into it.

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Figure 1-- - Wet Well Sewage Pumping Station

A sewage sump’s capacity should always be related to the rate of sewage inflow and the pump capacities, the
aim being to reduce wear on the mechanical and electrical equipment in the station by minimizing the number
of pump starts. Each pump should be limited to about six starts during any hour; the maximum number of
starts occurs when the station inflows is equal to half the pumping capacity of one pump. On the other hand,
if sewage sumps are too large, sewage will tend to become anaerobic during its detention.

It is recommended that the capacity of the sewage sump in a sewerage pumping station should be calculated
in accordance with the formula.
V = 3,000 Q
Where,
V is the capacity of the sewage pump in litres
Q is the maximum rate of sewage inflow during dry weather in litres per second.

In order to facilitate cleaning of the wells and pipe work and repairs to pumps, sewage sumps should be divided
into at least two compartments; these should be interconnected by holes through the dividing walls which can
be closed by penstocks, when necessary, to isolate a particular compartment. The capacities given above for
sewage sumps are for the sum of the capacities of the individual compartments.

7.2 Dry Well Sewage Pumping Station


Dry well sewage pumping station consists of a pump housed in a concrete chamber installed below ground
level. Pumps, driving units, control, valves, and piping are installed in it. Dry well should have sufficient area to
provide space for installation of all the pumping equipment together with space required for maintenance and
repairs.

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Figure 2 Dry Well Pumping Station

8.0 Pump Controls


The pump controls are normally activated as the level of sewage pump varies. The more usual types of
control for sewage pumping stations are: -

a. Float-operated systems where the float, necessarily located in the sewage sump, rises and
falls with sewage; such are simple and satisfactory, provided that the floats are protected
from turbulence. Rod and lever operated controls are generally more reliable than those
with chains.
b. Pneumatic systems incorporating a small air compressor, which bubbles through the
sewage in sump; the pressure, which is generated in the air pipe-work, and is proportional
to the depth of sewage in the sump, activates pressure-sensitive switches.
c. Electrical systems, which usually comprises pairs of insulated probes which are activated as
they become submerged; sometimes, to avoid rags and debris fouling the probes, they are
enclosed in rubber bladders.

9.0 Maintenance of Pumping Station


The following are areas to consider when maintaining a pumping station.
▪ The area around the pumping station must be kept clean.
▪ The solids, (grit) settled in the settling tank must be removed every day
▪ The inlet screens must be cleaned every day and the grit chamber should be cleaned every month
▪ Grit and any solids which might have settled in the pumping sump must be removed regularly
▪ All drainage channels in and around the pumping station must be kept clean
▪ Keep all records of pump performance i.e. rate of pumping and quantity pumped.
▪ Remove any scam forming in the settling tank and sump
▪ Watch out for any leakages developing and stop them immediately
▪ If any pump breaks down, it should be repaired within three days.
▪ For operations and maintenance of the pumps sets, refer to the attached manual
▪ Keep records of electrical performance, i.e. consumption, breakdowns etc.

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