Many municipalities are taking a closer look at their flood protection infrastructures to ensure they are capable of withstanding rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions and increased rainfall. Two recent large-scale flood management projects — the Afsluitdijk dike in the Netherlands and the Trinity River Corridor Project in Dallas — highlight how Flowserve CVP concrete volute pumps can provide a new level of protection for millions of people.
Rugged and reliable pumps for flood protection
First developed by Flowserve in 1929, CVP pumps are vertical, single-stage, dry- pit units with prefabricated concrete casings. These enormous pumps are built into a site’s infrastructure and can quickly move staggering amounts of water; some pumps can move 49,962 m3/h (220,000 gpm).
Known for their reliability, efficiency, corrosion resistance, reduced vibration and overall low maintenance costs, these pumps have earned a worldwide reputation for their trouble-free operation and dependability.
Their corrosion-resistant and high-efficiency design makes these pumps ideal for drainage and flood protection applications. The pumps’ rugged, compact construction virtually eliminates vibration problems, which reduces maintenance labor and costs.
CVP concrete volute pumps are integrated into the civil construction of a site. They use prefabricated concrete segments for the volute housing and intake suction bell to reduce installation costs and have a well-earned reputation for trouble-free operation with minimal maintenance.
Flowserve CVP pumps support Europe’s largest flood control project
The Netherlands is no stranger to flood control; 26% of the country is below sea level and another 29% of the region is threatened by river flooding. The Netherlands’ Afsluitdijk causeway and dike, a structure that has protected the country from flooding for more than 80 years, is one of the largest flood control projects in the world.
The dike dams off the Zuiderzee, a saltwater inlet of the North Sea, and turns it into the IJsselmeer, a freshwater lake. At 32 km (20 miles) long and 91 m (300 ft) wide, the dike is both an engineering marvel and a symbol of the country’s constant battle against flooding from the sea.
Recently, the Netherlands launched a massive renovation project to upgrade the causeway and increase its drain capacity by installing new pumps to discharge surplus water from the IJsselmeer into the Wadden Sea. When it was completed in 2018, the Afsluitdijk’s new pumping stations became the largest in Europe.
The Afsluitdijk, a major causeway in the Netherlands that has protected the country from the sea for more than 80 years, was recently reinforced with six CVP axial flow concrete volute pumps from Flowserve.
Reliable, efficient and environmentally friendly
When it came to selecting the pumps for the new Afsluitdijk, the Netherlands opted for Flowserve CVP pumps because they offer a reliable, efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution that can protect the country and its citizens for decades to come.
Flowserve installed six CVP pumps, capable of collectively pumping 846,000 m3/h (3.7 million gpm) — nearly six Olympic-sized swimming pools per minute.
Pump reliability was a significant concern, as any failures could have far-reaching effects on the environment and the safety of Dutch citizens. This is why it is such a critical aspect of Flowserve’s pump design.
Flowserve CVP pumps not only meet the Afsluitdijk’s performance needs, but they also meet its environmental requirements as well. These pumps are among Flowserve’s most environmentally conscious pumps; they combine efficient hydraulics and pumping capabilities with a fish-safe hydraulic design, making them safe for aquatic life.
Dallas’ Trinity River Corridor Project brings Flowserve CVP pumps stateside
Flowserve CVP pumps are widely used in the U.S. They’re common in desalination, oil and gas, and power generation operations across the country. But while CVP pumps have been used for flood management in Europe for nearly a century, they had never been used for flood protection in the U.S.
Dallas’ Trinity River Corridor Project changed that.
Because of Dallas’ location along the Trinity River, it faces a severe risk of flooding due to an increase in Gulf Coast hurricane activity, severe storms and rainfall. For decades, the city had relied on seven pump stations to protect it from large-scale flooding. During heavy rains, these pump stations work together to move storm water away from residential and business districts, depositing it into the Dallas levee system.
While these pump stations — some of which were built in the 1930s — proved reliable for decades, they were in dire need of an upgrade. In 2003, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assessed these facilities and determined they no longer provided sufficient protection against the rising threat of severe storms and increased rainfall. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ preliminary report recommended upgrading several existing pump stations and adding a new pump station to increase the city’s ability to respond to storms and safeguard its citizens and businesses from catastrophic flooding.
The city of Dallas launched the Trinity River Corridor Project to make the recommended updates in the report. The project included a variety of improvements to the city’s interior drainage system, including shoring up 40% of its 35-km (22-mile) levee system.
Upgrading the pump stations meant investigating the latest flood management technology to find the most effective way to protect the city. For that, the Dallas Floodplain Management Team traveled to Europe, where they saw Flowserve CVP pumps in action.
The new Pavaho Pump Station uses three Flowserve CVP concrete volute pumps with a total pumping capacity of 85,163 m3/h (375,000 gpm). These are the first concrete volute pumps used for flood management in the U.S.
Increasing levee system capacity and reliability
Impressed by what they saw in Europe, the Dallas Floodplain Management Team has thus far incorporated 11 Flowserve CVP pumps in its upgrades of the Pavaho, Baker and Able Pump Stations. Since every CVP pump application and operating environment is different, Flowserve collaborated with the team to ensure each pumping station’s specific needs were met and to optimize the city’s complete flood management system.
The city has made the following updates to date:
New Pavaho Pump Station. The new Pavaho Pump Station was built alongside the existing Pavaho Pump Station, which had a capacity of 18,168 m3/h (80,000 gpm). The new Pavaho Pump Station includes three Flowserve CVP pumps, each with a capacity of 28,388 m3/h (125,000 gpm), bringing its total drainage capacity to 85,163 m3/h (375,000 gpm). The pumps installed at the new Pavaho Pump Station are the first concrete volute pumps to be used for flood management in the U.S.
Baker Pump Station. The original Baker Pump Station consisted of two stations built in 1932 and 1975 with a combined pump drainage capacity of 136,260 m3/h (600,000 gpm). During the upgrade, the city added four Flowserve CVP pumps, each with a capacity of 39,743 m3/h (175,000 gpm), which brought the pump station’s total drainage capacity to 250,000 m3/h (1.1 million gpm).
Able Pump Station. The Able Pump Station consisted of two pump stations, built in 1932 and 1954, with a combined drainage capacity of 49,962 m3/h (220,000 gpm). The new station features four Flowserve CVP pumps with a total drainage capacity of 199,848 m3/h (880,000 gpm) — four times what the original two stations could manage.
Flowserve CVP pumps will protect the city of Dallas from flooding, prevent loss of life, and alleviate infrastructure and environmental damage.
By adding the Flowserve CVP pumps, the city has increased its total pumping capacity by 117%. Before the pump station upgrades, the city’s total pumping capacity was 204,390 m3/h (900,000 gpm). By adding 11 Flowserve CVP pumps, the pump stations can now move 443,981 m3/h (1,955,000 gpm).
The city also made its levee system more reliable. Unexpected pump repairs and downtime can not only drive up operating costs but can put citizens at risk. With its continuous operation and minimal maintenance requirements, the Flowserve CVP pumps can achieve 100% uptime.
This increased reliability stems from the CVP pumps’ corrosion- and erosion-resistant design, which minimizes the metal parts coming into contact with water, significantly increasing pump life. The pump’s innovative shaft sealing system also extends pump life, reduces maintenance, and improves reliability.
Controlling costs
For large-scale municipal projects like Dallas’ Trinity River Corridor Project, pump reliability and performance are crucial, but cost control is also a concern. Traditional metal pumps require annual refurbishing, but Flowserve CVP pumps can operate for years with minimal maintenance, reducing the city’s total cost of ownership. Lower maintenance requirements stem from the pump’s design, which limits vibration and resists corrosion and erosion.
The pumps’ prefabricated elements, such as the suction bell and volute, significantly reduce on-site construction time and costs. The compact design of these elements and the pullout unit reduce excavation work as well as lifting heights and weights.
The pump’s pullout design simplifies installation and makes the unit easier to remove for maintenance. It also enables installation once the civil work is completed and inspection without dismantling the impeller, further reducing maintenance costs.
CVP pump pullout units being assembled at the factory. The pump’s pullout design simplifies installation and makes it significantly easier to perform maintenance.
Performing flawlessly
Flowserve CVP concrete volute pumps offered the city of Dallas a reliable, efficient and cost-effective solution to upgrade its aging infrastructure. And since their installation, they have delivered on their promise for greater reliability and lower costs.
After the first two pump station renovations were completed in 2012 and 2014, they were immediately called upon to minimize flooding after a major storm hit Dallas in 2015. The pumps performed flawlessly during the storm, quickly pumping storm water away from downtown Dallas and the surrounding areas and keeping the city’s citizens and businesses safe.
Flowserve flood control expertise
Flowserve is no stranger to large-scale projects and has a long history of solving massive flood management challenges. Flowserve not only provided the new CVP pumps for the Netherlands’ Afsluitdijk renovation, but the company also provided the concrete volute pump that was installed in the original causeway in 1929.
Flowserve has installed pumps in large flood management projects around the world. Whether it’s protecting the Netherlands from rising sea levels or Dallas from the surging Trinity River, Flowserve CVP pumps can tackle the biggest flood control projects.
For more information on Flowserve CVP pumps for large-scale, critical infrastructure applications, visit Discover.Flowserve.com/NoFlood.
By: Alberto Chinchilla, Concrete Volute Pumps Product Manager, Flowserve Corporation
Akash Rathod, Director of Marketing — Water Market, Flowserve Corporation