TECHNOLOGY
TwENTY-YEar LifE-CYCLE
aNaLYsis
A comparative study was conducted
to evaluate the AP modular pumping
system at various flows to the life-cycle
cost of typical CF pumps used in the
SWRO industry. Three leading CF pump
manufacturers were considered including
ERI, KSB and Sulzer. The following flow
rates and pump types were used in the
study:
Table 1. Centrifugal Pump Flow Rates and Types
Figure 2. Specific energy consumption for axial-piston and centrifugal pumps vs system size
Table 2. System performance parameters and assumption
Table 3. Cost parameters and assumptions
Table 4. Present Worth Costs and ROI
The study included the evaluation of
the high-pressure pump system capital and
operating expenses in order to determine the
20-year life-cycle costs of each alternative.
Preliminary capital cost evaluation not
only includes the pump manufacturing, but
also the following installation and support
equipment associated with a high-pressure
pump system:
• Variable-frequency drive or soft start/
RVS
• Electric service cable and cable
installation
• Electrical connectors
• Pump and skid install
• Motor, drive, and coupling
installation
• Pump alignment
• Delivery check valve
• Relief valve
• Delivery pipework
sYsTEm PErfOrmaNCE
ParamETErs
Certain SWRO operating parameters
impact the overall performance of a given
system. Table 2 provides a set of parameters
as a basis for comparing the performance
and subsequent operating costs for each
pumping system at three different flow rates.
Although we are focusing on the specific
performance of the high pressure
November-December 2013 | Desalination & Water Reuse | 29 |
