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.