Pumps Stop Water Supply Holes

One of the big problems in many European countries is the fact that old, leaking pipelines pour huge amounts of pure drinking water into nowhere. In some European countries as much as 50% of the drinking water is wasted long before it is used for anything at all. "As a matter of fact we can reduce waste of water by 15% And we are talking about pure drinking water," Mr Jim Rise from Grundfos says; he has been closely involved in the water reduction project since its beginning.

To adjust pressure Grundfos has developed a control system for the pumps. After the system has been given the information about the general consumption of the water supply, it can "decide" the number of pumps needed, and it can turn them on and off as required.

"In fact, the control system makes it possible to remote control pumps. If there are problems at a water supply in for example Sofia, it is possible to take control from Bjerringbro of the pumps of that supply for a period. In that way the system can run in the most appropriate and economic way all the time."

Besides, the software of the pump supply can be continuously updated; in that way the best product will be available all the time, and the supply will always be at the best possible level.

Facts:
• The project is based on existing technology and products, and therefore it is very accessible for water supplies all over the world.
• Pressure regulation by means of pumps arranged in parallel can reduce waste of water and energy consumption by up to 25%.

Example:
A town with 35,000 inhabitants has an annual water consumption of about 5,000,000m3 of water. In Denmark it will mean an annual waste of 500,000m3 of water. t can be reduced by 15%, i.e. 75,000m3 per year - 75,000,000 litres.