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Water
Water and pumps have a long history of cooperation
Water is an important resource for life. All human beings and animals need water. For centuries pumps have been used to get drinking water out of the ground. Pumps have also provided water for agriculture, especially in dry areas where surface water is scarce. Pumps can help irrigate land and get water from a great depth. In some countries like the Netherlands pumps have helped get rid of water to create new land. In cases of flooding, pumps can be used to dry cellars, houses or factories; they help limit damage from too much exposure to water.
Europe has seen many big floods in the last decade. The European Union issued a Directive (2007/60/EC) on the assessment and management of flood risks, which requires Member States to assess if all water courses and coastlines are at risk from flooding, to map the flood extent and assets and humans at risk in these areas, and to take adequate and coordinated measures to reduce this flood risk.
Conversely the European Commission has also developed a policy for water scarcity and drought.
Pumps are also used during the treatment of drinking water and wastewater
They are used to bring water into the treatment plant and to pump it out to consumers or into rivers. Pumps must adapt to the new composition of wastewater. With less water being flushed in order to make savings, wastewater has a much higher solid content. This is a challenge facing pump engineers. Some companies manufacturing pumps are also providers of blowers delivering oxygen to bacteria digesting wastewater in aeration tanks. Impellers are also used in these tanks to help the process.
Leakages in pipes
Using Variable Speed Drive technology can help in limiting leakage in water pipes. This technology limits pump starts and stops which can cause pipe breaks. Added to a pressure modulation (some Europump members provide valves that do this job) this can lead to a major reduction in water losses. This also enables the reduction of energy consumption related to the production and distribution of water as the water produced reaches the consumer. In addition pumps have also evolved in recent years and consume less energy.
Pumps can help liven up lakes or ponds with water jets. They help with creating artificial snow for entertainment in the mountains.
Pumps are crucial to deliver water at high pressure to extinguish fire. Fire-fighting pumps are very specific and need to be extremely reliable.
