Problem

A Metropolitan Industries lift station in Joliet, Illinois needed a solution fast. They supplied the city of Joliet with a sanitary lift station to upgrade the existing service to residences and businesses on the west side of Joliet. The prefabricated housed system replaced the original infrastructure with a new, prefabricated valve station and control house designed to handle flow from a new four pump lift station. Their back-up generator was having issues with harmonics as a result of their Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs). VFDs take incoming power from the utility and modify it for more efficient use, however; this conversion process creates harmonic distortion. They needed a solution to the harmonics which were causing problems with smooth operation and equipment overheating.

Solution

Not all harmonic solutions are created equal. TCI evaluated the electrical system and supplied a compact HarmonicGuard^® Active filter which would allow for proper harmonic mitigation without taking up precious floor space. TCI’s HarmonicGuard^® Active filter allowed for proper operation of the four pumps, VFDs and generator within the lift station. The idea is that three pumps will operate on a regular basis while the fourth would be used as a backup. TCI’s active filter allowed for the flexibility they needed, while still offering the performance required to keep the pumps running smoothly.