New raw water pumping station increases drinking water production in Panama

Problem: 

As Panama has grown there has been an increasing need for safe drinking water. In 2018, the National Aqueducts and Sewerage Institute made the decision to build a new raw water pumping station to increase drinking water production at the water treatment plant that serves about 60,000 inhabitants of Changuinola, Guabito, El Silencio and El Empalme.

Solution: 

The goal was to increase the reliability of the system, which was important to residents given the deterioration of the existing raw water station. The new raw water pumping station was designed to extract and filter water from the Changuinola River (water can have a high sediment content, which makes filtering critical) and then pump the water to a current drinking water treatment plant located 2 kilometers away, where it is processed for human consumption. The scope of the project included large PRIMEX control panels that controlled four 350 hp water pumps and seven 5 hp sand pumps to properly filter sediments at the start of the process. PRIMEX also provided variable-frequency drives with line reactors, a 1,600-amp main switch, a PRIMEX pump controller and extensive remote monitoring via the Pump Watch system.

Result: 

The new raw water pumping station increased production, ensuring that this growing region has plenty of sediment-free drinking water for years to come. 888-342-5753; www.primexcontrols.com

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Signage designed to provide durability and high visibility

Problem: 

The health, safety and marketing manager for a western U.S. Oneok compressor station needed to find a solution to marking his fireplugs. The challenges were to make something readable from a long distance and to last in a harsh environment. He wanted crews to be able to see from even 100 yards away which fireplug is in use or closest to a tank.

Solution: 

Tech Products solved this by using 3-inch-tall lettering on the signs they produced, with a strong contrast of black on a yellow background. This made the product very easy to read and see from long distances. The company was also tasked to make the product last in tough environmental conditions. The Everlast product line was developed with pipelines, electric utilities and railroads in mind. It has been in production since 1989 and has proven to have a life expectancy of over 40 years in any environment.

Result: 

The operators of the compressor station have been satisfied with how the durability of the signs, and with how visible they remain. 

800-221-1311; www.techproducts.com