Energy transfer from the freshwater to the wastewater network using a PAT-equipped turbopump

A new strategy to increase the energy efficiency in a water network exists using turbo pumps, which are systems consisting of a pump and a turbine directly coupled on a same shaft. In a turbo pump, the pump is fed by a turbine that exploits a surplus head in a freshwater network in order to produce energy for one system (wastewater) and reduce the excess pressure in another (drinking water). A pump as turbine (PAT) may be preferred over a classic turbine here due to its lower cost. The result of such a coupling is a PAT-pump turbocharger (P&P). In this research, the theoretical performance of a P&P plant is employed using data from a real water distribution network to exploit the excess pressure of a freshwater stream and to feed a pump conveying wastewater toward a treatment plant. Therefore, the P&P plant is a mixed PAT-pump turbocharger, operating with both fresh and wastewater. A new method to perform a preliminary geometric selection of the machines constituting the P&P plant has been developed. Furthermore, the plant operation has been described by means of a new mathematical model under different boundary conditions. Moreover, the economic viability of the plant has been assessed by comparison with a conventional wastewater pumping system working in ON/OFF mode. Therefore, the net present value (NPV) of the investment has been evaluated in both situations for different time periods. According to the economical comparison, the PAT-pump turbocharger represents the most economically advantageous configuration, at least until the useful life of the plant. Such convenience amounts to 175% up to a time period equal to 20 years.