A Complete Guide to Vertical Turbines
When you have high intake needs, are preparing for extreme temperatures, or are working in a flood zone; you need a vertical turbine pump. This comprehensive guide breaks down how these reliable workhorses excel in tight spots and help reduce operating costs and increase efficiency. This system is customizable to your current needs but can change with you if they evolve. Additional stages can be added later, allowing for incredible flexibility and scalability.
Skip to:
- Types of turbine pumps: vertical and submersible
- Vertical turbine applications
- When should you choose a vertical turbine?
- Vertical turbine pumps and specifications
- Rafts, pontoons, and other floating pump systems
Types of Turbine Pumps
While there are many types of turbine pumps, vertical turbines, and submersible turbines are the most widely applicable. The primary technical difference between the two lies in the motor’s location. In vertical turbines, the motor is above ground and connected to the impellers through a long shaft. In submersible turbine pumps, the motor is underwater at the bottom of the pump. At Service Pump & Supply, we sell, install, and service both vertical and submersible turbines.
See also: We Keep Your Motors Running
Vertical Turbine Applications
Vertical turbines are versatile workhorses. You may think of them for moving water from deep underground, and they are an excellent choice for deep wells and reservoirs. They also come in handy in a wide variety of other environments and applications, including
- Oil and Gas
- Mining
- Petrochemical
- Chemical
- Power
- Desalination
- Municipal and Wastewater Facilities
- Dewatering and Flood Control
When Should You Choose a Vertical Turbine?
When Size and Length Matter
Vertical turbine pumps have a smaller footprint than horizontal pumps and can fit in tight spaces. You can also extend their length far below ground to maintain a positive suction head in deep extraction applications.
When Your Intake is High
Vertical turbines are often used in raw water applications such as rivers or lakes. Their reliability and high intake capacity make them excellent choices for moving a large volume of water.
When You Need to Cover a lot of Ground
Turbines can be stacked in stages to maintain pressure and head across a long distance. And because you can add stages later, turbine systems are scalable.
When You’re Working in Extreme Cold
Because vertical pumps go below ground, they are often protected from the hazards of frigid temperatures.
When You’re Working in a Flood Zone
Vertical turbine motors are located on top of the unit — placing them higher from the ground than a typical pump. This elevation provides some protection from rising waters and allows for easier monitoring.
When Your Needs May Evolve
Pumps & Systems points out that vertical turbine systems often scale better than horizontal pump packages. They note, “a vertical pump can be purchased in multiple stages or impellers to meet maximum head or pressure requirements… an example would be a mining operator who only needs one stage for the first year of operations… in the second year… as more pressure is needed, then more stages can be added.”
See also: Problems in the Field? 5 Ways Our Team Can Help
Vertical Turbine Pumps and Specifications
We offer a wide variety of vertical turbine and submersible turbine pumps from several manufacturers.
Multistage Lineshaft Vertical Turbine Pumps
Multistage lineshaft vertical turbine pumps are ideal for wet pit, open sump, or deep well pumping. Lineshaft vertical turbines are configured so that the hydraulic components are submerged into the pumped fluid while the motor is located above ground, making it easy to access electrical components.
This style of pump offers more material and configuration flexibility than submersible pump and motor combinations for applications with higher temperatures or varying fluid properties. Lineshaft column assemblies can be open or enclosed, depending on the application.
Applications:
- Industrial Process Pumps
- Industrial/Commercial Water Supply
- Seawater and Raw Water Intake
- Municipal Water and Wastewater
- Utility Circulating Water
- Filter Backwash
- Effluent Transfer
- Plant Water Systems
- Storage Terminal Transport
- Onshore/Offshore Fire Protection
- Power Generation
- Condenser Circulating Water Pumps
- Water Parks
- Mining
- Dewatering and Flood Control
- Industrial Cooling Tower
- Snow Making
- Chemical Process
- Packaged Pump Stations
Features and Benefits:
- Hydraulic Coverage from 50-20,000 GPM
- High-Pressure Solutions
- Industry-leading Efficiencies across Coverage Range
- Options for Low-NPSHa Conditions and Suction Lift Concerns
- Application-Specific Product Options and Material Choices, including an Option for Corrosive/Abrasive Services
- Customizable Configurations for Site-Specific Needs, such as Above/Below Ground Discharge
- Minimal Floor Space Requirements
- Vertical Hollow Shaft or Vertical Solid Shaft Motor Options
Canned Lineshaft Turbine Pumps
Multistage canned vertical turbine pumps offer the same versatility and performance as our lineshaft pumps and are ideal for closed-loop boosting. These are short-set lineshaft pumps with suction piping connected to a can (or sleeve) inlet, which allows the can to create the pump reservoir. A canned turbine pump is a perfect solution for site locations where suction piping exists, rather than an existing sump or reservoir.
Applications:
- Industrial Process Pumps
- Commercial/Industrial Water Supply
- Municipal Water and Wastewater
- Booster Systems & Packaged Pump Stations
- Utility Circulating Water
- Filter Backwash
- Effluent Transfer
- Plant Water Systems
- Crude Oil Pipeline Boosting
- High Pressure, Light Hydrocarbon
- Storage Terminal Transport/Boosting
- Power Generation
- Condenser Circulating Water Pumps
- Water Parks
- Mining
Features and Benefits:
- Hydraulic Coverage from 50-20,000 GPM
- High-Pressure Solutions
- Industry-Leading Efficiencies across Coverage Range
- Options for Low-NPSHa Conditions and Suction Lift Concerns
- Application-Specific Product Options and Material Choices, including an option for Corrosive/Abrasive Services
- Customizable Configurations for Site-Specific Needs
- In-line Piping Connection Options for Easier and Less Costly Installations
- Minimal Floor Space Requirements
Deep Well Turbine (DWT) Borehole Pumps
Applications:
Features and Benefits:
- Cast Iron Bronze Fitted Bowl Assembly 5″ to 20″ Sizes
- Enclosed or Open Lineshaft with Threaded or Flanged Column Pipe
- Enclosed or Open Impellers
- Above or Below Ground Discharge with VHS or HSS M
otor
See also: Hawks Nest Intake Bypass: Keeping the Water Flowing for 20,000 People
Submersible Vertical Turbine (Borehole) Pumps
Applications:
Ideal for deep set applications where the use of lineshaft pumps is impractical. The complete unit is installed underground resulting in space-saving, quiet operation. Long life / low maintenance – no lubrication or alignment.
Features and Benefits:
- Flexibility of Design
- Pump Bowl Assembly
- Pump Bowl Assembly Options
- Column Assembly
- Pitless Adapters
Additional Turbine Pumps
Service Pump and Supply offers additional models of vertical turbine and submersible turbine pumps. Need something not listed here? We can likely get it for you. Give us a call at 1 (800) 480-7867.
Rafts, barges, pontoons, and other floating pump systems
When you need access to a pump directly on the water, our experienced team will work with you to custom-design a raft that meets your specifications. Our in-house fabrication shop builds custom barges, floating platforms, and pontoons to fit various pump designs. And because we custom-design each system we install, you’ll get exactly what you need.
We can create a solution around an existing pump system or provide a pump that will best meet your needs. We will build walkways and skids to house the pumps so you can easily access your floating pump system. Once it’s created, our team will oversee the installation and be on-call 24/7/365.