New 'super pump' for IJmuiden pumping station

The IJmuiden pumping station pumps approximately 1 billion m3 of water per year and is an indispensable link in the water management of Western Netherlands. Pentair received an order from Rijkswaterstaat for the supply of a new super pump. In 2004 the company already supplied two Pentair Fairbanks Nijhuis Pumps for this pumping station, each with a capacity of 50 m3 per second. The new pump is a copy of the previously delivered pumps, which even enjoy a listing in the Guinness Book of Records.

Gemaal IJmuiden has six pumps. "Four of these pumps date from 1975, the two newest pumps were produced and installed by us in 2004," says Gerard Scholten, director of Pentair's Winterswijk branch. "One of the old pumps from 1975 is now being replaced with a new pump." The main reason for this replacement operation is the desire to improve the reliability of the pumping station until the planned renovation. Project manager Jan Willem Eindhoven says: "The new pump we are supplying is a copy of the other two super pumps and has a capacity of 50,000 liters per second. The hydraulic design of the pumps from 2004 with permanent magnet motor is still state-of-the-art today. The pumps are infinitely adjustable within their operating range, allowing them to run more quietly in a wider operating range and with higher efficiency." 

Largest capacity in the world 
The modern Fairbanks Nijhuis Pumps are even listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the pumps with the largest capacity in the world. Jan Willem Eindhoven: "They are really big pumps with impellers with a diameter of four meters. To illustrate: the pump, including the motor housing, is as high as a three-story building and weighs about 120 tons. With a capacity of 50,000 liters of water per second, you pump out an Olympic-sized swimming pool in 50 seconds." Production of the pump has now started, with an expected delivery date of October 2023. The pumping station, by the way, has hardly any secrets for Pentair. SPIE is responsible for the maintenance of the entire pumping station, outsourcing the maintenance of the pumps to Pentair. 

Prestigious project
For Pentair, Gemaal IJmuiden is an important reference. "We are proud of the fact that we developed the super pump in Winterswijk and that it is still considered the reference in the market," says Scholten. "The entire project is being coordinated from Winterswijk by a team of specialists put together especially for this project. The installation and commissioning of the pump will be done from our service locations in collaboration with SPIE. It's nice that we, as an Achterhoek company, are allowed to take care of such a prestigious project in Dutch water management." A reference that does not go unnoticed abroad either. "The Netherlands as a water country is a great testing ground for us to gain knowledge and develop new techniques that we can then use worldwide. We have already been able to carry out a number of surface water management projects on this basis in Thailand and Singapore, among others."