Relationship between pump horsepower and energy usage in municipal water networks

A municipal drinking water distribution network (hereafter, network) consists of a main pump and/or a combination of multiple booster pumping stations to transport water. An understanding of the relationship between pump horsepower and the corresponding energy use would aid in the optimal design of a pumping station, thereby resulting in significant energy savings. The current paper presents the relationship between pump horsepower and corresponding energy usage in seven diverse networks. Seven networks - six being real, were analyzed to examine this relationship, and it was found that energy savings could be realized by reducing the pump horsepower; however, the amount of savings was system specific for the systems analyzed. More importantly, the main pump horsepower was more sensitive than the booster pumps in six of the networks. © 2010 ASCE