Large submersible motor pumps for Mexico
Pump and valve manufacturer KSB is set to supply 20 pump sets worth several million euros for one of Mexico’s largest infrastructure projects.
The KSB pumps involved are the largest submersible motor units in the company’s history with a power output of 1,150 kilowatts and a total weight of 15 tonnes. They are currently under construction at the Halle factory. Each pump can handle 2,000 litres a second at a head of almost 44 metres. KSB hydraulics experts also advised the customer on the construction of the intake structures. With the help of CFD analysis and model tests they developed the ideal compromise between cost-saving construction and hydraulically optimised structural design.
A combined waste water / stormwater pumping station planned for completion in 2012 is currently under construction in Mexico City at an elevation of 2,200 metres. Overuse of groundwater reserves in the metropolis of 20 million residents has resulted in major subsidence of the ground on which the city stands. This means that many sewers now lack their required gradient. In addition, the city is suffering repeated flooding due to poor drainage and heavy rainfalls between May and September. Mexico City’s municipal authorities have therefore been investing in new sewers and pumping stations for several years.
Short delivery periods of six to ten months and positive references from the previous “La Caldera” project, for which KSB supplied 24 waste water pumps, were decisive in winning the contract.
