PDH-Pro.

com

Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

Course Number: CH-02-508

PDH: 2

Approved for: AK, AL, AR, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MD,
ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, OH,
OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, and WY

Author: Michael Kuznetz

New Jersey Professional Competency Approval #24GP00025600
North Carolina Approved Sponsor #S-0695
Maryland Approved Provider of Continuing Professional Competency
Indiana Continuing Education Provider #CE21800088

This document is the course text. You may review this material at your leisure
before or after you purchase the course. In order to obtain credit for this course,
complete the following steps:

1) Log in to My Account and purchase the course. If you don’t have an account, go
to New User to create an account.

2) After the course has been purchased, review the technical material and then
complete the quiz at your convenience.

3) A Certificate of Completion is available once you pass the exam (70% or

greater). If a passing grade is not obtained, you may take the quiz as many times as
necessary until a passing grade is obtained (up to one year from the purchase
date).

If you have any questions or technical difficulties, please call (508) 298-4787 or
email us at admin@PDH-Pro.com.

396 Washington Street, Suite 159, Wellesley, MA 02481

Telephone – (508) 298-4787 www.PDH-Pro.com
 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

1. Centrifugal Pumps

Submerged centrifugal pumps are the most common type of pumps used in wastewater
conveyance systems. Centrifugal pump will pump fluid at the point where the system curve
intersects the pump curve as shown in Fig. 1.

Fig.1. Pump Best Operating Point (BOP).

The BOP corresponds to a certain pump efficiency value. Pump efficiency charts and capacities
are provided by pump manufacturers or vendors. Normally, for lead pumps the BOP is chosen
based on the average dry daily flow (ADDF) rate since these pumps work more frequently than
the lag pumps. The latter are normally sized to handle flows in excess of ADDF for peak wet
weather flow (PWWF). There could be several lead and lag pumps arranged in various
configurations. If a variable frequency drive (VFD) is used on the pumps, a single pump may be
capable of serving the entire range of flows to the lift station. A second identical pump is
required for redundancy and is a standby pump. Most if not all local municipalities require pump
efficiencies at BOP above 50%. Choosing constant speed pumps that would operate at
efficiencies above 50% at both ADDF and PWWF is a challenging task. For more flexibility,
pumps are installed in either series or parallel with the first pump. The reader is directed to the
following link for choice of pump speed vs capacity:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_laws.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 1

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

2. Pumps in Series

When two or more pumps are arranged in series, their TDH (total dynamic head) doubles whilst
the flow rate does not change as shown in Fig.2.

Fig. 1. Head for Two Pumps in Series.

Centrifugal pumps in series are used to overcome a larger system head loss than can be handed
by a single pump. For a constant q, the combined head moves from point 1 to point 3 along the
system curve rather than jumping to point 2. Points 1 and 3 represent a system with one and two
pumps in operation, respectively.

Some things to consider when installing pumps in series:

 Both pumps must have the same impeller; otherwise the difference in capacities (gpm) may
cause cavitation if the first pump cannot supply enough liquid to the second pump.
 Both pumps must run at the same speed (rpm).
 The casing of the second pump needs to be strong enough to resist the higher pressure. Higher
strength material, ribbing, or extra bolting may be required.
 The stuffing box of the second pump needs to sustain the discharge pressure of the first pump
which may require a high-pressure mechanical seal.
 Both pumps must be filled with liquid during start-up and operation.
 The second pump must be started after the first pump is running.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 2

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

3. Pumps in Parallel

Two or more pumps in parallel result in a higher flow rate than a single pump depending on the
slope of the system curve which, in turn, depends mostly on the friction factor and force main
length. The combined flow will double, i.e. 2Q, with no friction but, in reality, will be in the
range from to 1.4Q to 1.75Q.

Fig. 3. Two Pumps in Parallel.

In Fig. 3, points 1 and 3 are where a system operates with a single and dual pump, respectively.
Pumps are connected to a common discharge line (Fig. 4) and share the same suction conditions.
Some things to consider when pumps are operated in parallel:

 Both pumps must produce the same head which means they must be running at the same speed,
with the same diameter impeller.
 When pumps are run in parallel, the head shall rise at least 10% of the head at rated capacity.
 Two pumps in parallel will deliver less than twice the flow rate of a single pump in the system
because of the increased friction in the piping.
 The shape of the system curve determines the actual increase in capacity. If there is additional
friction in the system from throttling, two pumps in parallel may deliver only slightly more than
a single pump operating by itself.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 3

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

 A single pump will operate at a higher flow rate than if it were working in parallel with another
pump because it will be operating further out on the curve requiring increased power. If a pump
is selected to run in parallel, its driver needs to be rated for single operation.
 Most LSs read only total flow and cannot read the differences in individual pump performance.
 Parallel pumps are notorious for operating at different flows. Often a lead pump is operating
close to its shut off point while the lag pump is operating to the far right of its curve and running
out of NPSHA.

Fig. 4. Typical Duplex Submersible LS with Parallel Pumps.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 4
 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

4. Hydraulic Design Basics for Wastewater Lift Stations

The following definitions and values are provided as guidelines only. The design engineer is
referred to the local, municipal, county, state and provincial design guidelines as they differ.

1. Wastewater Flow Rates

 Residential: 200 - 300 gals/day per Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU)

 Commercial: 0.05-0.1 gals/day (GPD) per SF
 Multi-family Units: 0.65-0.85 EDUs per Unit
 Peaking Factor: 2 – 4 times the Average Daily Flow (ADF)
 Inflow and Infiltration (I/I): 300 GPD/acre
 Inflow and Infiltration (I/I): 200 GPD/mile-inch of pipe diameter
2. Average Dry Weather Flow (ADF)
This is the base flow developed without the maximum flow peaking factor. This flow is
used to determine the average detention time in the wet well.

 ADF (GPD) = Residential (single and multi-family) + Commercial GPDs

 ADF (GPM) = ADF (GPD) / 1440 (Min/Day)

3. Peak Dry Weather Flow (PDWF)

This flow is used to determine pipe size in the collection system.

 Peaking Factor (PF) = 1.4-2.5

 PDWF (GPD) = PF * ADF
 PDWF (GPM) = PF * ADF (GPM)

4. Peak Wet Weather Flow (PWF)

This flow is used to determine the LS design capacity. All lift stations are designed to
handle the maximum wet weather flow for its service area.

 Inflow and Infiltration (I/I): Total Development Acreage * 300 GPD/acre

 PWF (GPD) = PDWF (GPD) + I/I (GPD)
 PWF (GPM) = PWF (GPD) / 1440 (Min/Day)

5. Minimum Dry Weather Flow (MDWF)

This is used to determine the maximum detention time in the wet well.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 5

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

MDWF = (0.2* (0.0144 * ADF)0.198) * ADF

(1)

6. Minimum Pump Requirements (Peak Wet Weather Flow, PWF)

 For two-pump stations, size each pump to handle PWF.

 Calculate Total Dynamic Head (TDH):
1) Static Head (Hs)
Eh = Maximum force main elevation
El = Wet well low water elevation
Hs = Eh — El
2) Loss (Lf) due to friction in force main
Length = Total equivalent length of force main and piping on station
Lf = Length * Friction Factor (Use Hazen-Williams C of 100 and 140)
3) TDH = Hs + Lf

 Plot System Curve and Pump Curve and determine the best operating point (Fig. 1) to
select proper pump sizes.

Velocity produced in Force Main with one pump in operation are normally required to
be between 2 and 3.5 feet per second (fps), less than 5 fps with two pumps in
operation, 6 fps or less for three pumps in operation, and less than 8 fps for more than 3
pumps in operation. Below 2 fps, solids deposition in FM may occur.

The expression for flow velocity in a circular pipe is:

V = Q/A = 0.4087099 * (Q / d2) (2)

where
Q = Discharge flow for selected pump(s), in gpm
d = FM pipe interior diameter, inches.

7. Net Positive Suction Head

For suction lift stations, compare the net positive suction head required (NPSHR)
by the pump with the net positive suction head available (NPSHA) in the system,
at the operating range. The NPSH available shall be greater than the NPSH
required by at least 3 feet.

NPSHA (suction lift) = PB + HS – PV - Hfs (3)

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 6

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

where

PB = barometric pressure in feet absolute (34 ft = 14.7 psia)

Hs = minimum static suction head, in feet
PV = vapor pressure of liquid in feet absolute, use 1.4 feet
Hfs = friction loss in suction, ft, including entrance losses and minor losses.

8. Total Suction Lift

A total suction lift calculation is performed for self-priming pumps. The total
suction lift is the addition of the static suction lift plus the friction losses along the
suction pipe. The static suction lift is the distance between the wet well level
elevation at All Pumps Off and the elevation of the impeller eye.

Total Suction Lift = Static Suction Lift + Friction Losses along Suction Pipe
Static Suction Lift = Impeller eye elevation-elevation of wetwell level at All
Pumps Off

9. Storage Requirements

Wet Well Volume between "lead pump on" and "all pumps off' elevation:

Vr (Gals) = Pump GPM * T (Minimum Cycle Time)

Wet Well Dimensions:

Minimum wet well diameter: 72-inches

4𝑉
Wet Well Depth = 𝜋𝐷𝑠2

where

Vs = wet well storage volume in cubic feet

D = wet well inner diameter in feet

10. Buoyancy Check

A buoyancy check is performed for the pump station wet well and the
retention chamber. “Skin friction”, in lbf/sf, between the soil and external LS
surface is added to the weight of LS excluding piping, pumps and support, and
divided by the buoyancy force to obtain a safety factor (SF). Normally, a SF of
more than 1.15 is required.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 7

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

11. Water Hammer Calculations

Calculate surge pressures and compare to the pressure rating of the force
main material to determine the need for a surge relief valve.

4460
𝑎= 𝐸 ∙𝐷
(4)
√ 𝐸𝑊∙𝑇 𝑖
𝑃 𝑃

where
a = pressure wave velocity factor
EW = water bulk modulus (300,000 psi)
Di = FM pipe inner diameter (inches)
EP = FM material modulus of elasticity (130,000 psi – HDPE, 400,000 psi – PVC)
TP = FM pipe wall thickness, inches

Water hammer pressure in FM is:

𝑎 ∙𝑉
𝑃= +OP (5)
2.31 ∙𝑔

where

P = water hammer (surge) pressure (psig)

a = pressure wave velocity factor
V = flow velocity in force main at firm pumping capacity (ft/s)
g = acceleration of gravity (32.2 ft/sec2)
2.31 = conversion factor
OP = FM peak flow operating pressure (psig).

Surge protection is required for P above 85 psig. FM pipe material must be rated at least
20-25 psi above P.

5. Wet Well Clearance Parameters

For submersible pumps, minimum pump submergence, shown in Fig. 5, is provided by the pump
manufacturer. The purpose of minimum submergence is to prevent air, always present in
wastewater, from entering a pump. Air volumes of above 2.5-3 % of wastewater volumes may
cause pumps to “choke”. Lack of minimum submergence will also cause what is known as a
“pre-swirl” which can lead to a vortex.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 8

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

Fig. 5. Example of Pump Vortex.

To prevent a vortex, the following equation has been developed which is the minimum
submergence (minimum distance between the inlet and the water surface elevation):

Smin = d(1+2.3FD) (6)

where FD is the Froude number (unitless), given by:

𝑣
𝐹𝐷 = (𝑔𝑑)0.5 (7)

where

d = pump inlet (bell) diameter, ft

g = gravity acceleration (32.2 ft/s2)
v = fluid velocity at the inlet (ft/s) = Q/A
Q = pump discharge (cfs)
A = inlet area (ft2).

Eq. 7 for flows up to 20,000 gpm is shown in Fig. 6.

Surface vortices may be reduced with increasing Smin. There are situations where increasing
depth has negative effect as vortices are highly dependent on approach flow patterns besides the
inlet Froude number. The reader is referred to the Hydraulic Institute publication “HI Pump
Intake Design – 1998” for additional details.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 9

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

Fig. 6. HI Recommended Inlet Bell Outside Diameter (OD) vs Velocity of 5.5 fps.

The publication lists several methods to reduce sub-surface vortices:

 Wall splitter plate

 Floor splitter plate
 Floor cone
 Back wall
 Corner fillets
 Back wall fillets
 Side wall fillets
 Center splitter
 Strainer with guide vanes.

Fig. 7 shows an example of back wall and side wall fillets.

Submerged vortices are also sensitive to floor clearance which is the vertical distance C (Fig. 8)
between the sump or wet well floor and the horizontal plane of the pump inlet bell.
Recommended floor clearance is between 0.3D and 0.5D where D is the wet well inside
diameter. The minimum clearance m between an inlet bell or a pump volute and a wet well wall
is 0.25D or at least 4 inches. The minimum clearance b between adjacent inlet bells or volutes is

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 10

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

also 0.25D or at least 4 inches. It is important to position the inflow pipe(s) radially normal to the
pumps to minimize rotational flow patents as shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 7. Example of Back and Side Wall Fillets.

Fig. 8. Wet Well Clearance Parameters.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 11

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

6. Pump Cycle Time and Detention Volume Calculation

The objective of this part is to present equations defining the minimum pump cycle time and the
wet well volume required for constant speed pumps. These equations can be used for but don’t
necessary apply to pumps with variable frequency drives (VFD) as those allow more flexibility
in terms of cycle time and storage volume.

Lift stations (LS) must be capable of discharging all anticipated peak wet weather flow. In a 2-
pump type LS, the "lead" pump is turned on at the first "on control elevation" and the "lag"
pump starts with a rising liquid level at the "second on control elevation." The "lead" and "lag"
pumps continue to operate until the "pump off control elevation" is reached. The "lead" and
"lag" automatically alternate between the two pumps at the completion of each pumping cycle.
This applies to 3-Pump, 4-Pump and 5-Pump type LSs as well. Fig. 9 shows a 4 pump sequence.

Fig. 9. Lift station with a 4-pump sequence.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 12

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

Fig. 9 shows the most common pump operating scheme for multiple pumps in parallel or series.
Pumps start when certain water levels in a wet well are reached and stop when water recedes to
the previous level. In this sequence, the inflow rate increases such as Qin1 < Qin2 < Qin3 < Qin4.

Let Pumps 1,2, 3 and 4 have capacities of A (Qin1), B (Qin2), C (Qin3) and D (Qin4), respectively.
Only P1 is “on” when inflow to the wet well is less than A and the water level is between “All
Pumps Off” and “P1”. As soon as inflow exceeds A by say b, i.e. (A + b), P2 starts (A+B). When
inflow exceeds A+B by c, i.e. A+B+c and the level is between “P2” and “P3”, P3 starts
(A+B+C), etc. When the water level is down to “P2”, the outflow rate is down to A+B. When the
inflow rate is less than A, all pumps are “off”. The other pump operating schedule is similar to
that shown in Fig. 9 except that P1, P2, P3 and P4 stop at the same time at “All Pumps Off”. This
would happen when inflow to a LS suddenly stops which is rarely a case in wastewater. The
present paper shows calculations for the pump sequence shown in Fig. 9.

Whilst the P1, P2, P3 and P4 levels are calculated as shown in the following discussion, low and
high level alarms are set arbitrarily by the design engineer. Normally, a high level alarm is set at
least 12 inches below and less than 24 inches from the incoming gravity sewer line(s) invert
elevation(s). A low level alarm is 6-12 inches above the minimum pump submergence level and
6-12 inches below “All Pumps Off”. Larger LSs may have larger vertical distances. Small to
medium size LSs (up to 5000 gpm) with constant speed pumping normally have an active depth
of 4 to 8 ft.

The pump cycle time, T, equals the off-time plus on-time:

T = toff + ton (8)

𝑡𝑜𝑓𝑓 = 𝑉/𝑄𝑖𝑛 (9)

where

V = volume of wet well between pump start and stop

Qin = rate of wastewater inflow to wet well.

The time on is:

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 13

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

𝑡𝑜𝑛 = 𝑉/(𝑂𝑜𝑢𝑡 − 𝑄𝑖𝑛 ) (10)

in which Qout = rate of pump discharge.

Eq. 9 and 10 substituted into Eq. 8 result in the following:

1 1
𝑇 = 𝑉( + ) (11)
𝑄𝑖𝑛 𝑄𝑜𝑢𝑡 −𝑄𝑖𝑛

Differentiating Eq. 11 shows that the minimum pump cycle occurs at an inflow rate which is half
of the pumping (i.e. outflow) rate for P1:

𝑄𝑜𝑢𝑡
𝑄𝑖𝑛 = (12)
2

The minimum cycle time for the first pump is obtained by substituting Eq. 12 into Eq. 11:

𝑃1 𝑉1 4
𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = = (13)
𝑄𝑖𝑛 𝑄𝑝1

where

V1 = volume of wetwell drained by 1st pump P1

QP1 = rate of 1st pump discharge.

Eq. 13 can be rearranged to obtain the minimum storage volume for P1:
𝑃1
𝑃1 𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑄𝑃1
𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 = (14)
4

P2 is “off” whilst the water level rises from “P1” to “P2”. The water level does not go below
“P1” until A exceeds Qin for a period beyond Tmin (Eq. 13). P2 off-time is defined as follows:

𝑃2 2 𝑉 𝑉2
𝑡𝑜𝑓𝑓 = (𝐴+𝑏)−𝐴 = 𝑏
(15)

P2 time on is:

𝑃2 2 𝑉 𝑉2
𝑡𝑜𝑛 = (𝐴+𝐵)−(𝐴+𝑏) = (16)
𝐵−𝑏

P2 minimum cycle time is then equal to:

𝑃2 𝑉2 𝑉2
𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = + (17)
𝑏 𝐵−𝑏

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 14

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

Differentiating Eq. 17, one obtains:

𝐵
𝑏= (18)
2

The minimum cycle volume for P2 is:

𝑃2
𝑃2 𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 = (19)
4

The minimum cycle time for P3 is:

𝑃3 𝑉1 +𝑉2 +𝑉3 𝑉1 𝑉2 𝑉3
𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = + + + (20)
𝐶−𝑐 𝐴+𝐵+𝑐 𝐵+𝑐 𝑐

The minimum cycle volume for P3 is:

𝑃3
𝑃3 𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 = (21)
4

The minimum cycle time for P4 is:

𝑃4 𝑉1 +𝑉2 +𝑉3 +𝑉4 1 𝑉 2 3 𝑉 𝑉 𝑉4

𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = + 𝐴+𝐵+𝐶+𝑑 + 𝐵+𝐶+𝑑 + 𝐶+𝑑 + (22)
𝐷−𝑑 𝑑

The minimum cycle volume for P4 is:

𝑃4
𝑃4 𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 = (23)
4

In Eq. 20 and 22, c and d are inflow rates greater than A+B and A+B+C but less than A+B+C
and A+B+C+D, respectively. The minimum cycle times for P3 and P4 can be determined by
trial-and -error solution to try V3 and V4 for different values of c and d, as the rest of the
variables have been determined. Another value of V3 or V4 is selected and the trial continues
until the desired minimum cycle time is obtained.

The minimum cycle time for the lift station (LS) is the sum of P1, P2, P3 and P4 minimum cycle
times:

𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑒 𝑃1 𝑃2 𝑃3 𝑃4
𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 + 𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 + 𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 + 𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 (24)

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 15

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

Likewise, the minimum detention volume for the lift station is the sum of P1, P2, P3 and P4
minimum detention volumes:

𝐿𝑆 𝑃1 𝑃2 𝑃3 𝑃4
𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 + 𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 + 𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 + 𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 (25)

The minimum vertical distance from the “All Pumps Off” to the “P4” levels in Fig. 9 is the
minimum volume between these levels divided by the lift station area:

𝐿𝑆
𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝐷𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝐴
(26)

The minimum filling time during a minimum cycle is as follows:

𝑃1 𝑃2 𝑃3 𝑃4
𝐿𝑆𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑄𝑖𝑛1
+ + + (27)
𝑏 𝑐 𝑑

Then the minimum empty time is:

𝐿𝑆𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑦 𝑐𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑒 𝐿𝑆𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙

𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 − 𝑇𝑚𝑖𝑛 (28)

In Eq. 28, the values of b, c and d are defined as follows:

𝑏 = 𝑄𝑖𝑛2 − 𝐴 (29)

𝑐 = 𝑄𝑖𝑛3 − (𝐴 + 𝐵) (30)

𝑑 = 𝑄𝑖𝑛4 − (𝐴 + 𝐵 + 𝐶) (31)

where A, B and C are P1, P2 and P3 capacities, i.e. QP1, QP2 and QP3, respectively.

The following expression can be served as a very rough estimate of detention volumes for pumps
starting from P2 (defined as Pn):

𝑄 −𝑄
∑𝑛−1 𝑄𝑃𝑛 − 𝑃𝑛 𝑃𝑛−1
𝑄𝑃𝑛 −𝑄𝑃𝑛−1 𝑖=2 𝑄𝑃
𝑉𝑃𝑛 = (6 + 0.1𝐻𝑃) ( − )( 2
∑𝑛−1 𝑄𝑃
) (32)
2 𝑛−1 𝑖=2
𝑄𝑃𝑛 −
𝑛−1

where HP is the pump Pn horse power (HP) capacity. The minimum detention volumes for P1
and LS are defined by Eq. 14 and Eq. 25, respectively. The term (6+0.1HP) represents the
average pump cycle time Tcycle in minutes as a linear function of pump horse power. Some
municipalities specify minimum Tcycle as a step function of pump HP. Usually, a 6 min cycle is

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 16

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

the shortest cycle albeit 5 min is also possible. As such, Eq. 32 needs to be used with caution.
The design engineer is referred to the local, county, state and provincial regulations before
starting the design. For a minimum cycle of 6 min, the term (6+0.1HP) can be incorporated into
Eq. 14 as follows:

𝑃1 (6+0.1𝐻𝑃)𝑄𝑃1
𝑉𝑚𝑖𝑛 = (33)
4

where Q is in gallons per minute (gpm). Eq. 25 is not valid for HPs above 300 due to long (over
30 min) filling times. If the detention time given by Eq. 24 exceeds 2 - 3 hrs, the local
municipality may require the design and installation of an odor mitigation system. The reader is
referred to the author’s odor control class for wastewater lift station for details. An odor control
measure is normally required if wastewater detention time in the wet well and force main (FM)
exceeds 4 hrs. The FM detention tine can be defined as follows:

𝜋
𝐹𝑀 𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ∙𝐹𝑀 𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝐷𝑖𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 2 ∙ 𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝐶𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑒 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒
𝐹𝑀
𝑇𝐷𝑡 = ∑𝑛 𝑄𝐵𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝐹𝑙𝑜𝑤
4
∙ (34)
𝑖=1 𝑃𝑛 𝑃𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑠 "On"𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝐶𝑦𝑐𝑙𝑒
𝑛

For base flow and the corresponding maximum cycle time, use Minimum Dry Weather
Flow (MDWF) defined by Eq. 1.

Wastewater wet well ventilation pipe is sized for an air rate equal to that of wastewater
inflow and a maximum pipe air velocity not exceeding 500-600 fps. Air release valves
on FMs are normally sized based on at least 2 % of wastewater volume.

A free fall from the inflow sewer pipe(s) into wet wells should be minimized as it is
common but improper practice to allow a free fall or cascade into the pool below. Even a
short free fall entrains air bubbles that may be drawn into the pumps resulting in
efficiency reduction and even damage. The turbulence caused by air bubbles sweeps
malodorous and corrosive gasses into the atmosphere.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 17

 Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations

References

 ANSI/HI Standard 9.8-1998. Pump Intake Design. 1998.

 Hecker, G.E. “Swirling Flow Problems at Intakes”. IAHR Hydraulic Structures Design
manual 1, Ch. 8. 1987.

Copyright 2019 Michael Kuznetz Page 18