Case Study 407

Pumping Up Safety,
Efficiency & a Smarter
DesignProgress Energy upgrades it’s pump technology andturns on the power of savings
Opportunity Knocking
Progress Energy’s Lee Plant, locatedTo address potential solutions to this challenge, Davisin Goldsboro, N.C., originally enlisted
consulted Bill Lynch of Tencarva Machinery Company,
nine vertical pumps within thean employee-owned company that specializes inrotating equipment and wastewater pumps forplant as yard drain pumps – pumps
industries such as the power-generating segment.
that have motors that are locatedWith a team of more than 50 engineers and a customer
above the pump and a line shaft
support staff of over 75, Tencarva brings the collective
expertise found in its 20 branches, spanning seventhat extends down into the lengthstates, to each customer engagement.
of the sump – whereas the pump is
As part of the initial engagement, Tencarva came to theactually at the bottom of the sump.
power plant and evaluated the current technology being
enlisted, the overall design and the future needs of theThe pumps were enlisted to remove
plant. As part of this initial assessment, the application,
excess water that accumulates fromin terms of horsepower requirements, was matched withavailable technology to yield the greatest impact.
rainfall and storm drains, equipment
wash down and general water
As a result of that conversation, the team strategically
overflow – all of which are pumped to made the decision to move away from the traditionalvertical-line sump pumps to more effective selfa retention settlement basin.
priming, centrifugal pumps. With the new technology,
As a result of pump age, maintenance of thesepumps became increasingly more expensive. Plant
management began to question the long-term
feasibility of efficiently maintaining the pumps andtheir ability to continue to meet the plant’s operational
expectations. “We were having reliability problems with
our vertical-line sump pumps,” said Ed Davis, a seniorwork management specialist with Progress Energy. “Infact, we were rebuilding the pumps on a regular basis.”© 2007-2017 Gorman-Rupp Pumps

Progress Energy was able to capitalize on the uniquedesign of the pump, placing the pump totally above
ground at the top of the pump station with only asuction line submerged below grade level.

When Progress Energy learned about the opportunity
to install new, more efficient and easier-to-maintainpump technology for less than they could rebuild theircurrent pumps, the decision was simple. In the end,
Gorman-Rupp’s Super T Series® technology was chosen.

1The team installed a series of pumps, in various sizes,including 4”, 6” and 8” pumps. “When we compared theprice of the new equipment to the cost of the existing
maintenance program, we felt justified in investing in
new motor skids and controls as well,” said Davis.
To test the performance and effectiveness of theequipment prior to making the decision to invest in acomplete overhaul, the energy leader chose to install
two of the new Gorman-Rupp Super T Series pumps ona trial basis. To begin the assessment, Progress Energy
ordered the two pumps and installed them over thecourse of approximately 18 months. Tencarva estimatedthat the normal installation time of pulling out the oldand installing the new, including making the appropriate
piping and electrical modifications, would take roughly
two weeks for two or three men. “We wanted to makesure our investment was sound and that we had time toobserve the pumps closely.” Davis said.
Since that initial test period, Progress Energy has
replaced nine of the vertical pumps with Super T Series
technology – seven of which are performing the yard
drain functions previously held by the vertical-line sump
pumps. “Tencarva did an excellent job of matching thenew equipment to our existing structure,” said Davis.
“The switchover was completed simply and efficiently.”

Build Tough – for a Tough
Environment
In the end, Progress Energy has benefited from theabove-grade feature of the self-priming pump – making
routine maintenance more routine than ever. During a
tri-weekly route, Progress Energy’s plant maintenanceteam checks the technology carefully, giving each pumpa once over every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
During this normal rotation, the team lubricates andinspects the pumps, in accordance with their instruction
manual, to ensure their investment continues to deliver
the yields it has afforded them to date. As a result,problems have been minimal since installation.
“These are industrial wastewater pumps. Clearly, they’ll
move fairly large solids – which the Lee Plant, honestly,
doesn’t have a whole lot of need for,” said Lynch. “ButProgress does have small abrasive solids like dirt, fly ash
and some corrosive compounds, and these pumps arebuilt to handle those, too.”2

Gorman-Rupp Super T Series® pumps (thisan 8” model) were installed for a variety
of industrial wastewater applications
throughout the power plant.
Further, within the plant, some of the pumps arelocated in a coal pile runoff area, and in below-grade
sumps, where pump failure could result in electricaldamage to the plant’s facility. “Historically we’ve seen
the value of having our impellers and pumps above thewater line,” said Davis. “Today, there’s nothing in thatsump but the suction line. Everything is above grade.
With traditional vertical-line sump pump designs,
the pumps remain housed in tight, confined spaces.
Therefore, when a team member needed to enter the©©
2014
2007-2017
The Gorman-Rupp
Gorman-Rupp
CompanyPumps

6” and 8” Super T Series pumps work in tandem
and are offered in a variety of materials forheavy-duty corrosive and abrasive liquids.
area for maintenance, a series of confined space entry
procedures had to be followed to secure personnel
safety. Otherwise, an overhead crane was required toremove the pump from the area, which was a lengthy
process – often an all-day procedure.

Pumping in the Results“Every 12 to 18 months, we had to rebuild a pumpat each pump station,” said Davis. “We’ve operated
these pumps for three years now, and we have only
performed normal preventive maintenance on them.”In fact, over the initial three-year period, Tencarva
reports that Progress Energy has experienced only
minor challenges with pump maintenance issues. “Withnine units, you were going into one of them at least
once a year and that adds up,” said Lynch. “As a resultof the new pumps, the only problem we had was an air
release valve that leaked and was replaced. The plant
will soon need to replace three or four of the remaining
pumps – but the key is that when they wear out, they
don’t plan to rebuild them. They plan to match up thepump size and replace the vertical-line sump pumps
with the self-priming technology. I think that trackrecord speaks for itself.”

By virtue of the pump design, each pump has what isreferred to as a v-belt drive. In as much, the company
is able to simply change the drive and change thespeed of the pump, which in turn will change thecapacity of the pump or its capability – another featurethat was not previously offered with the existingvertical-line sump pump. “If the plant was expanding,if the sumps were required to service a larger area,
if there were some kind of an environmental workwith their waste treatment, or for regulatory reasons
they needed to pump to a different site, all of thesescenarios could increase the amount of the dischargepressure or discharge head that particular lift stationor sump station would need. In that case, they could
easily change the rating or change the demand onthat particular equipment without making a newinvestment,” said Lynch.

About Tencarva Machinery Company
Tencarva Machinery Company began in 1978 as an
employee-owned company and is dedicated to theprinciples of superior customer service, integrity,and hard work. Having grown to more than 50 sales
engineers plus a support staff of over 75, Tencarva
now operates 20 branches in Tennessee, North
Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
Many branches include warehouses with pump andcompressor assembly and repair facilities as well as
custom fabrication capabilities.

About The Gorman-Rupp Company
The Gorman-Rupp Company is a leading manufacturerof pumps and pumping systems for the municipal,water, wastewater, sewage, industrial, construction,
petroleum and OEM markets. The company’s
Engineered Systems operation also manufactures afull line of water pressure booster stations including
pumps, motors, valves and controls – all housed inweather-proof fiberglass enclosures – meeting about
any municipal water supply need.
Ultimately, Gorman-Rupp prides itself on manufacturing
and delivering the right pump for the job.

GORMAN-RUPP PUMPS | P.O. BOX 1217 | MANSFIELD, OHIO 44901-1217 | USA | 419.755.1011 | GRSALES@GORMANRUPP.COM | GRPUMPS.COM2
3

©©
2014
2007-2017
The Gorman-Rupp
Gorman-RuppCompanyPumps