Replacing End-of-Life Storm Water Pumps for a Major Pharmaceutical Organisation
The Challenge
During a site visit, we identified a critical issue with the storm water pumps serving the store sumps at a major pharmaceutical and healthcare organisation’s UK site.
The existing Flygt pumps had reached end of life and were no longer supported by the manufacturer, with replacement pumps and key spare parts becoming unavailable.
With the storm water system playing an important role in protecting the site from water build-up and potential flooding, continuing to rely on obsolete equipment presented an increasing operational risk. A pump failure could result in reduced pumping capacity, unplanned downtime and potential disruption to the facility.
The existing pumps were specified to deliver approximately:
- 150 litres per second at 8m head
- 15kW pump motors
- 250mm pumps
- 3-inch guide rail system
A reliable replacement solution was therefore required that could maintain the existing system performance while providing greater long-term supportability.
The Solution
Dura Pump reviewed the existing installation and operating requirements before specifying suitable Grundfos replacement pumps to match the known hydraulic performance of the existing Flygt units.
The proposed works included removing the end-of-life pumps and installing new Grundfos units capable of achieving the required duty of approximately 150 l/s at 8m head.
To give the customer flexibility around investment and asset replacement, two options were provided:
- Replacement of one priority pump
- Replacement of all three storm water pumps
Replacing all three units would provide a consistent, fully supported pumping solution across the system while removing the risks associated with retaining ageing and obsolete equipment.
The replacement strategy was designed around maintaining the required storm water capacity while providing equipment for which ongoing technical support and replacement components are readily available.
The Outcome
Upgrading the storm water pumps provides the customer with a more reliable and maintainable system, reducing the risk associated with ageing equipment and obsolete components.
Key benefits include:
- Improved system reliability and uptime
- Reduced risk of unexpected pump failure
- Greater protection against storm water build-up and flooding
- Modern, supported pumping equipment with replacement parts available
- Improved long-term maintainability
- Reduced potential for costly emergency repairs and operational disruption
- Greater confidence that the storm water system can perform when required
By proactively replacing end-of-life pumps before failure, the organisation can move away from managing obsolete assets and towards a more resilient, supportable storm water pumping system.
For critical commercial and industrial sites, identifying ageing pumping equipment early provides the opportunity to plan replacement works rather than waiting for an emergency failure.
Choosing Dura Pump means investing in reliability and safety for your facility. Talk to an expert about your needs
