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Flexible water pump system from Grundfos
Danish pump manufacturer Grundfos Management A/S is currently
introducing its new solar pump system worldwide. Whereas the US was
among the first countries to see the new SQ Flex in February, the pump
will hit the last target markets Australia and New Zealand by October.
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©
Grundfos Management A/S |
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Plenty of choices: Grundfos offers its water
pump system with seven different pumps –- the flexible
system works with 2 to 20 solar modules and a wind turbine. |
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The name SQ Flex underscores the system's flexibility:
Customers can choose from seven different solar pumps, which can be
backed-up by wind turbines, water reservoirs or diesel generators. To
facilitate the customer's search for the suitable device, Grundfos has
developed a PC-based sizing tool that allows the customer to choose
the right pump and to determine the number of necessary solar modules.
Customers only need to know three parameters: the water quantity
required per day, the location (the tool divides the world into
different regions according to solar radiation) and the depth of the
well.
The SQ Flex pump portfolio contains three helical rotor pumps and four
centrifugal pumps. The helical rotor pumps are used for high heads and
low flows. The maximum depth is 120 meters, and the maximum flow is
2.5 m3 per hour. The centrifugal pumps are best suited for wells with
a maximum depth of 30 meters. The biggest of Grundfos' centrifugal
models can provide a flow up to 14 m3 per hour. All of the pumps come
with three phase motors that use permanent magnets instead of brushes
and have a maximum power input of 900 W of either AC or DC voltage;
for DC supply, a MPP-tracker for the integrated electronic unit can
optimize the pump's working point. Maximum current is 7 A.
The simplest SQ Flex package contains the pump, solar panels and a
switch box. This package is sold with between two and 20 panels of
amorphous silicon thin-film modules from BP Solar, which have a
nominal power of 43 W. If the solar power is insufficient to run the
pump, or if customers want to store energy for times when the sun does
not shine, one can add a water reservoir, wind turbine or diesel
generator. Whereas the SQFlex Combi package combines solar and wind
energy, the SQFlex Wind system relies solely on wind energy to power
the pump. Additional components include a control and communication
unit and switch boxes. The control and communication unit monitors the
system and sounds an alarm in case of failures; the switch boxes close
and open the voltage supply, slow down or stop the wind turbine,
provide interfaces and transforms three-phase AC voltage into DC.
The pumps are designed for use with clean liquids, i.e. liquids that
do not contain solid or long-fibred particles larger than a grain of
sand.
Delivery time for the SQ Flex is two weeks. A CD with the sizing tool
is available at local sales companies and will be available for
download from Grundfos' homepage by the beginning of next year.
The pumps cost €1,155 ($1,129) each, including motor and cables. A
43-watt module is available for €360 ($352), and the 1 kW wind
generator H80 Whisper runs €3,610 ($3,527).
Grundfos Management A/S
Poul Due Jensens vej 7
8850 Bjerringbro, Denmark
phone +45/86/68-1400,
info_gdk@grundfos.com
www.grundfos.com
Iris Krampitz
© PHOTON International, September 2002
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