Sometimes when bad things happen, a good pump can be a Godsend. Since the oil spill in the Gulf, Wilden^® Pump & Engineering has seen an increase in orders for its air-operated, double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps, specifically for the Wilden Original™ Series Metal PX8 pumps. These pumps feature design and operational capabilities that are required for use in harsh environments.

“We’ve had two very large orders for the two-inch Wilden PX8 pumps. We’ve sold quite a few pumps from half-inch up through three-inch sizes, but I knew exactly where the two-inch PX8 pumps were headed…into the Gulf of Mexico for use in the cleanup efforts,” said Richard Bergeron, President of Houma Valve Service, Inc., Houma, La. Houma Valve Service, Inc., has been an authorized Wilden pump distributor since the 1970s. 

“I figure they’re using the Wilden pumps for transfer of oil and wastewater or to skim the oil off the water into a barge, or transfer from a barge to a tank truck. They would also be used for diesel fuel transfer to help refuel the boats. I don’t know the exact applications they are using the Wilden pumps for, but I suspect that’s how they are being used.

“Fortunately, for our Parish, we’ve had some oil but haven’t had a significant amount as of yet. However, the wind could change tomorrow, and we could end up with a large portion of the oil in our area,” said Bergeron.

I hope that these pumps and others like them can help minimize the impact of the spill.

When I started in August 2006, I could not properly pronounce the word centrifugal, but during that course in September, I hammered that pump with the best of them. (Luckily, I had two extremely patient engineers at my table who told me which side of the hammer to use.) P&S Editorial Advisory Board member and Geiger Smith-Koch President Henry Peck invited me to return to the Symposium in September 2008 to take the course again and get my “Master’s” in Centrifugal Pump Assembly and Repair. While thankfully no one has ever had to depend on my ability to assemble or disassemble a centrifugal pump, both experiences were invaluable while working with our authors on the practical, hands-on articles that we strive to include in each issue of Pumps & Systems.

The Centrifugal Pump Assembly and Repair course is just one of the many memorable experiences I have had while working as Assistant Editor and then Managing Editor of Pumps & Systems. Most recently, I have also had the privilege of working as Editor of our new publication Upstream Pumping Solutions. On both magazines, I have had the opportunity to speak with countless people in the industry about what issues they encounter daily and what matters most in the field. I hope this feedback shows in both P&S and Upstream Pumping Solutions and that both magazines have proven useful to our readers.

I have now made the difficult decision to leave Pumps & Systems and Upstream Pumping Solutions to take on the next challenge in my career. I am immensely grateful for the opportunities I have had, the knowledge I have gained and the people with whom I have worked. Most especially, I am grateful that for the past four years, I have been able to serve our loyal readership. I wish everyone the best of luck in the future.  

Best regards,

Alexandra Ferretti

Pumps & Systems is proud to report that business is strong. As we continue to provide high-quality, valuable and practical editorial, our readers continue to be loyal. In producing this useful information, our advertisers also find value. All these components keep us healthy and confident about opportunities for growth. We constantly reach out to our readers and advertisers for input on market trends and information about advancements in technology, and we thank them for their support.

We feel so strongly about the future of the pump industry, we have expanded our coverage of the oil & gas sector with a new publication, Upstream Pumping Solutions, which offers drilling contractors and well-completion professionals practical, hands-on information. We had a successful launch of the new publication this month, and showcased it at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston last month. The premier issue—which features frac pump technology, mud pumps and artificial lift—can also be found at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary June 8-10. To subscribe to Upstream Pumping Solutions, please visit www.upstreampumping.com.

Currently, we are working on our 2011 editorial calendars for both publications. We continue to search for the most recent advancements in technology and strive to stay informed of industry trends. Our readers will always have an impact on our editorial focus.

Please contact me directly and tell me what regular columns and technical articles interest you. Voice your opinions about our coverage at our social networking site, www.pumpconnect.com as well as on our online forum, PumpChat.

In the meantime, there are many opportunities to chat with us in person as we enter a heavy tradeshow season. Please stop by our booths at AWWA’s ACE 2010 in Chicago June 20-23 and in Orlando for EASA June 27-29.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the funding of 18 projects designed to protect public health by improving water quality and public sanitation services in 12 states – USDA Press Release: Read Project List by State 

04/23/10 Westport, WA – $3.9 million rural development loan received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in order to make upgrades to its wastewater treatment facility – the Daily World: Read More 

04/17/10 Mingo County, WV – Mingo County Public Service District has received a $900,000 USDA Grant and a $763,000 federal loan for the Marrowbone Creek water system – the Williamson Daily News: Read More 

04/16/10 Scioto County, OH – $29 million in ARRA Stimulus Funds will be used for a Minford Water/Sewer Project – Community Common: Read More

These projects above apear to wrap up Stimulus Funding for Clean Drinking Water and Wastewater Projects. I will continue to keep my eyes open for new developments. This will be my last post to this Stimulus Watch Blog until further notice. Thank You for following the money. David Courtney

If you get an Error Message from any “Read More” Hyperlink, let me know and I will try to restore the Link – Email: DavidCourtney@earthlink.net or Phone:  (239)340-9371 – www.GeneratorDealerMarketNews.com

“A combination of the weak global economy and lack of inventory stocking exasperated the downturn, which bottomed in late 2009,” Foung says. Without much re-stocking in 2009, Foung said the Gabelli Symposium speakers alluded that if nothing else happened in 2010 but re-stocking, we could see growth again soon. “But right now we are in a holding pattern.”

Simply put, “The economy has not gotten worse, but it has not gotten better,” Foung explains. “Distributors are not building inventories and this could be a new trend for a while. However, if history repeats itself, companies will have to restock at some point.”

Foung said many executives indicated growth in some areas, in particular the shorter cycle, book-to-ship markets in pumps and valves. “Major projects with normal lead time actually held up in 2009, but may be weakening a little now,” he says. “Major projects with longer cycles have caused more price competition, forcing some users to want to renegotiate contracts.”

Another trend for 2010 is a search for strategic acquisitions because of weak organic growth. “Quite a few companies indicated they have financial teams in place that can manage larger companies than they currently have.”

In retrospect, “Last year, cash was king,” Foung says. “The banks were not lending. There was a big concern about liquidity. Now, with some modest growth, metrics indicate that the market has picked up sequentially month over month.”

Foung says he is also hearing from companies beginning to see some benefits from the Stimulus Plan. “Two-thirds of the Stimulus spending has not impacted the economy yet,” he says. “It is a long process. A little bit of that is picking up the demand, which could help to make this a pretty good year.”

In general, “We should see modest growth in 2010 . . . maybe 1-2 percent,” Foung says. “The U.S. is consumer driven. If we have job growth and income growth, consumers will begin to spend again.”

Additional Tool to Follow the Money – American Recovery Act Prime Contractors seeking Sub-Contractor Bids – SBA Sub-Contracting Network – See List 

Another Tool to Follow the Money – SBA Directory of Companies by State with Contacts having Federal Contracts frequently seeking Sub-Contractors and Vendors: Review Directory 

04/15/10 Clinton, MS – City officials on Tuesday were to take part in a “Groundbreaking for the Greenhouse” to be paid for with $3.8 million ARRA/DEQ Funds, half of it a low-interest loan, located at the Southside Treatment Plant off Clinton-Raymond Road – Clinton News: Read More 

04/15/10 Oak Orchard, DE – $5,582,000 Loan and a $2,999,847 Grant administered by USDA Rural Development’s Water and Environmental Program to assist in Oak Orchards Wastewater Expansion Program – Sussex Countian: Read More 

04/14/10 Rhinelander, WI – City will award contracts partly ARRA Funded, for the water service and sanitary sewer portions of the project that will include a new wastewater lift station – Rhinelander Daily News: Read More 

04/14/10 Woodstock, CT -Woodstock Academy is line to receive $1.4 million in federal grants and loans toward improvements to its wastewater system – Norwich Bulletin: Read More 

04/13/10 Lavaca, AR – Governor Mike Beebe presented a check for a $7.5 Million ARRA grant to representatives of the Franklin-Sebastian Public Water Authority to help fund improvements for the Charleston, Lavaca and River South water supplies – Charleston Express: Read More 

04/12/10 Muletown, Minford, Clarktown, and Rubyville, OH – $29.6 million ($29.4 million in USDA loan and grant funds, and $240,000 in leveraged funds) received for Wastewater Project – Teatro Naturale: Read More 

04/10/10 Chadron, NE – Governor Heineman will be attending an open house and ribbon cutting at the new Chadron Wastewater Treatment Plant. The project received $1,090,000 in ARRA Funds – KCSR 610AM Radio: Read More 

04/10/10 Elmore, MN – $7.7 million in USDA Stimulus Funds will help pay for New Wastewater Improvement Projects – Faribault County Register: Read More 

04/09/10 Gray, GA – Gray City Council members voted to officially begin the process of building a new wastewater treatment plant using possible USDA ARRA Funds – the Jones County News: Read More 

If you get an Error Message from any “Read More” Hyperlink, let me know and I will try to restore the Link – Email: DavidCourtney@earthlink.net or Phone:  (239)340-9371 – www.GeneratorDealerMarketNews.com

04/08/10 Maryville, MO – City receives $177,600 Grant for 3 new booster centrifugal pumps and variable frequency drives at the water treatment facility – Northwest Missourian: Read More 

04/07/10 Chapel Hill, NC – $14.5 Million Research Grant awarded to the University of North Carolina, New Waste Water Treatment Plant included in the project – News Observer: Read More 

04/07/10 Rock Island, WA – Work will begin Monday laying pipe for Rock Island’s new sewage collection system – This ARRA Funded project has no Wastewater Treatment plant to process Sewage – the Wenatchee World: Read More 

04/06/10 Scioto County, Ohio – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $29.4 Million ARRA funding for a regional wastewater system to replace rural Septic Tanks for 1,340 users in four rural Ohio communities – USDA Press Release: Read More 

04/06/10 Sebastian & Franklin Counties – $7.5 million in federal stimulus funds awarded to help secure water to more than 29,000 people in eastern Sebastian County and Franklin County – the City Wire: Read More 

04/05/10 Tallahassee, FL – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has committed all $218.9 Million ARRA Stimulus Funds for Water Projects – Link to Project List available at WCTV: Read More 

If you get an Error Message from any “Read More” Hyperlink, let me know and I will try to restore the Link – Email: DavidCourtney@earthlink.net or Phone:  (239)340-9371 – www.GeneratorDealerMarketNews.com

04/02/10 Kannapolis, NC – $1.2 Million ARRA Stimulus Awarded for storm water improvements at the Research Campus and the replacement of a water treatment plant pump is funded by a $170,300 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant – Salisbury Post: Read More 

04/01/10 Louisville, KY – $4.17 Million in Stimulus ARRA Funding to Improve Louisville, Ky., Water Service – Environmental Protection News: Read More 

03/30/10 Omaha, NE – $7.5 million in federal stimulus money received to put toward the Wastewater System overhaul – Omaha World Herald: Read More 

03/28/10 Princeton County, KY – Work is underway for ARRA Funded Sewer Basin Projects by Bobby Luttrell and Sons, of Ohio County – the Times Leader: Read More 

03/28/10 St. Peters, MO – City of St. Peters will receive a $91,500 grant from the state Department of Natural Resources to upgrade its water treatment plant – Suburban Journals: Read More 

03/27/10 Independence, MO – Gov. Jay Nixon came to Independence this week to announce a $1 million ARRA Grant for the city to use to improve wastewater treatment – the Examiner: Read More 

03/26/10 Cape Girardeau, MO – $2 million check received for Water Improvements. Half the money is a grant from stimulus funds approved by Congress last year. The other half is a loan, with $840,721 coming from stimulus funds as well and the remaining $159,729 coming from a state loan fund dedicated to water and sewer improvements – Southeast Missourian: Read More 

If you get an Error Message from any “Read More” Hyperlink, let me know and I will try to restore the Link – Email: DavidCourtney@earthlink.net or Phone:  (239)340-9371 – www.GeneratorDealerMarketNews.com

03/25/10 Athens, OH – Athens will receive $362,000 to replace equipment at the city’s wastewater treatment facility – Pomeroy Daily Sentinel: Read More

03/25/10 Folkston, GA – Folkston awarded $300,000 ARRA Grant to install energy-efficient aerators at the city’s wastewater treatment plant – the Florida Times Union: Read More

03/25/10 Wilmington, OH – $309,393 in Stimulus funding will be committed to bringing methane gas from the city landfill to power the city’s wastewater treatment plant – Wilmington News Journal: Read More

03/23/10 Red Bluff, CA – Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to break ground on the Red Bluff Pump Project. It is a $5.25 million cooperative agreement that is part of the $109 million going to the Red Bluff project under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – Daily News: Read More

03/22/10 Independence, MO – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced a $1 million grant aimed at enhancing the 32-year-old plant’s energy efficiency during plant tour – Examiner: Read More

03/21/10 Boothbay, Mars Hill & Norway, ME – Norway will receive a $385,000 Stimulus loan and $1.1 million grant to improve sewer system efficiency. Mars Hill will receive grants of nearly $1 million for water and wastewater improvements; Boothbay Harbor Sewer District will receive a $342,000 loan and $250,000 grant – Seacoast: Read More

03/20/10 Keyser, WV – City of Keyser will receive over $7 million in Recovery Act funding to build a new water treatment facility – Mineral Daily News Tribune: Read More

If you get an Error Message from any “Read More” Hyperlink, let me know and I will try to restore the Link – Email: DavidCourtney@earthlink.net or Phone:  (239)340-9371 – www.GeneratorDealerMarketNews.com

The power factor of an AC electric power system is defined as the ratio of the real power flowing to the load to the apparent power, and is a number between 0 and 1 (frequently expressed as a percentage, e.g. 0.5 pf = 50% pf. Real power is the capacity of the circuit for performing work in a particular time. Apparent power is the product of the current and voltage of the circuit.

A power factor of one or “unity power factor” is the goal of any electric utility company since if the power factor is less than one, they have to supply more current to the user for a given amount of power use. In so doing, they incur more line losses.

Industrial facilities tend to have a “lagging power factor”, where the current lags the voltage (like an inductor). This is primarily the result of having a lot of electric induction motors – the windings of motors act as inductors as seen by the power supply. Capacitors have the opposite effect and can compensate for the inductive motor windings.

The significance of power factor lies in the fact that utility companies supply customers with volt-amperes, but bill them for watts. The relationship is (watts = volts x amperes x power factor). It is clear that power factors below 1.0 require a utility to generate more than the minimum volt-amperes necessary to supply the power (watts). This increases generation and transmission costs. Utilities may impose penalties on customers who do not have good power factors on their overall buildings.

Watts, or real power, is what a customer pays for. VARS is the extra “power” transmitted to compensate for a power factor less than 1.0. The combination of the two is called “apparent” power (VA or volt-amperes).

A low power factor is expensive and inefficient and some utility companies may charge additional fees when the power factor is less than 0.95. A low power factor will reduce the electrical system’s distribution capacity by increasing the current flow and causing voltage drops.

Consider this popular analogy to clarify the relationship between real and apparent power.  We all know a glass of draft beer generally has a “head” on it. Let’s say your favorite pub institutes a new policy – you only pay for the beer, not the foam. While the foam is just aerated beer, it is not really usable in that form. If the glass of beer is half foam, you pay half the price.  This is the same principle as electricity generation – the consumer only pays for the beer (real power), not the foam. 

The main advantages of the Power Factor Correction are:

•         The electrical load on the Utility is reduced, thereby allowing the Utility to supply the surplus power to other consumers, without increasing its generation capacity.

•         Most of the Utilities impose low power factor penalties. By correcting the power factor, this penalty can be avoided.

•         High power factor reduces the load currents. Therefore, a considerable saving is made in the hardware cost, such as cables, switchgear, substation transformers, etc.

Impact on the Power Utility