Challenge

The irrigation station in the south of France faced frequent breakdowns of a vertical shaft pump located in a rural area, despite a complete overhaul in 2023. The pump operates during peak demand and is installed in a sump, where failures have led to high repair costs and accountability issues among the manufacturer, installer, and operator. Remote monitoring of suction/discharge pressure, vibration, and water levels was crucial to preventing these failures.

Solution

Chesterton recommended installing the Chesterton Connect™ System to monitor the equipment and troubleshoot the issues. The solution included:

• A smart sensor monitoring system to track suction pressure and vibration of the vertical shaft pump.
• A Connect Gauge installed on the discharge side for discharge pressure monitoring.
• Cloud connectivity for real-time data sharing and early fault detection, enabling prompt corrective action and efficient troubleshooting.

Installation and Monitoring

The installation was completed on August 6th, 2024. The monitoring system was connected to the suction and discharge sides of the pump, which allowed real-time tracking of important metrics such as pressure and vibration. Key measurements included:

• Start-up discharge pressure: 20 bar
• Suction pressure: 0 bar
• Vibration: 2.7 mm/s

Significant variations were observed during operation, leading to a deeper investigation and timely corrective actions.

Results

The Chesterton Connect™ System enhanced reliability and reduced downtime by enabling remote monitoring. The detection of a sudden rise in suction pressure and a corresponding drop in vibrations prompted the operator to take immediate action. The faulty discharge valve was repaired, preventing extended downtime during the high irrigation season. With improved insight into operational parameters, the reliability of the pumping station was significantly increased.

Conclusion

By implementing the Chesterton Connect™ System, the irrigation station in the rural area gained much-needed visibility into the vertical shaft pump’s operations. The monitoring solution was critical for diagnosing faults, reducing unexpected breakdowns, and ensuring that the system’s performance can be effectively tracked in future high-demand periods.