Shore Mounted Effluent Pumps

Farm effluent is changing. It now has to be lump free so that it passes through irrigator nozzles, and sand must be removed because it blocks pipelines and wears pumps. Consequently, the need for large clearance centrifugal pumps that can handle dog chains, ear tags and paint can tops has gone. This allows the use of positive displacement pumps with special characteristics. In particular, progressing cavity (PC) pumps supply the same flow to each hydrant on the farm so that irrigator performance is identical at each location. They can handle high pressures (up to 120 metres head) and use about half the power of a centrifugal solids pump. Spitfire recommends the Netzsch Progressing Cavity pump with a 19m3/hour capacity for all travelling irrigators on the NZ market.

Advantages:

• Constant, regular output from any hydrant for consistent irrigator performance
• Low power consumption, smaller cables and higher overall efficiencies
• Pumping heads up to 120 metres delivers effluent to high sections of the farm
• Can prime themselves from the bank of a pond – no need for floats and walkways.

Disadvantages:

• Must run grit-free and should not be allowed to run dry.