Author: John Eblacker, Automation Specialist, WEG Electric Corp.

Industrial Pump Sales & Service was contracted by the property management company of One International Place to upgrade their antiquated booster system. Booster pumps are critical for water systems in modern skyscrapers., They are responsible for ‘boosting’ the water pressure so that the water pressure on the top floors are as good as those on the ground level in other buildings.

One International Place (right), adjacent to Two International Place (left)

With 46 floors, One International Place is Boston’s sixth-tallest building! All buildings taller than five floors need a booster system because water pressure drops as elevation increases. Industrial Pump Sales & Service was tasked with installing a booster system that would take 75 psi (pounds per square inch) – which is the water pressure at street level – and increase the system discharge pressure to 315 psi.

“We were responsible to retrofit the entire booster system,” explains Joe Dias, Sales Manager at Industrial Pump Sales & Service, “so we chose three vertical multi-stage pumps, three 60-horsepower motors, and three CFW11 Pump Genius variable frequency drives from WEG.” The WEG Pump Genius VFDs were chosen because they came with the necessary built-in capability to control, monitor, and protect a multi-pump booster system with no custom programming or firmware required. In this specific booster system, Pump Genius was perfect for controlling the multi-pump arrangement.

The WEG Pump Genius drive controls the booster system by monitoring the system pressure and maintaining a flow of 600 gallons per minute through each pump. The Pump Genius Multi-pump drive enables control of up to 5 pumps and has an intuitive interface for easy programming, control, and monitoring. Pump Genius is able to diagnose when a pump system has a leak by constantly monitoring the load and speed data, then tracking if the system is consuming more power than it should. Clogged pipe conditions can also be detected with Pump Genius by monitoring when the system is getting close to its maximum system pressure, so action can be taken before a leak or pipe burst can occur.

3 WEG Pump Genius VFDs mounted in one cabinet

Industrial Pump Sales & Service has in-depth knowledge and experience with the WEG Pump Genius drive, having supported over 50 installations across the New England region. When it came time to upgrade the booster system at One International Place, the WEG Pump Genius Drive was an easy choice – even when the installation environment was not. “Installing the new booster system was not easy because the building was occupied and that’s like trying to perform surgery on somebody while they’re in the middle of a tennis match,” laughs Dias. “We worked through the night to get the first pump running so the building would have the water they needed by morning, then spent the next 3 nights installing the rest and getting the entire system fully operational.”

The upgraded booster system has been operating well since 2014, with the WEG Pump Genius Drive making sure that all three pumps work together to meet the demand for the domestic water system inside One International Place.

Watch the Pump Genius Video!

Learn more about the Pump Genius!

About WEG Electric Corp.

Founded in 1961 in Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil by Werner Ricardo Voigt, Eggon João da Silva and Geraldo Werninghaus, WEG is a $3.5B independent international solutions company operating in 6 continents, exporting to 135+ countries with production facilities in 12 countries and 30,000+ employees (200+ located in the United States). WEG’s Duluth, GA Headquarters facility manufactuers custom panels and medium voltagel drives. U.S. Customers are served nationwide by WEG’s 8 Regional Distribution Centers located in Chicago, IL; Duluth, GA; Harrisburg, PA; Houston, TX; Ontario, CA; Kansas City, KS; and Portland, OR. Learn more by visiting www.weg.net.

About Industrial Pump Sales & Service

Industrial Pump Sales & Service is a full-service company that provides complete pump system design, in-house service, field service, replacement parts, and 24/7 emergency service for Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. Learn more at www.ipspump.com.