Xylem Launches the World’s First Wastewater Pumping System with Integrated Intelligence

“Flygt Concertor represents a step-change in sustainable wastewater management solutions, with unparalleled pumping efficiency and reliability as well as a lower overall cost of ownership,” said Tomas Brannemo, President of Xylem’s Transport business. “It significantly advances the wastewater pumping sector by simplifying the entire pumping process from selection, installation, commissioning and monitoring with the added bonus of a smaller footprint. Flygt Concertor is a real problem-solver, developed in close collaboration with our customers around the world.”

Fields tests conducted around the world validated significant improvements with Flygt Concertor, including:

• Energy savings of up to 70 percent compared to a conventional pumping system

• Clog-free pumping operation and clean wet wells saving up to 80 percent in vacuum cleaning costs

• Compact design, reducing cabinet size by up to 50 percent

The name Concertor is derived from the Latin ‘concentare’, meaning ‘working together to orchestrate harmony’. Flygt Concertor is suitable for use with wastewater pumps in the range of 2.2 to 7.3 kilowatts (kW) and has a system design that combines IE4 motor efficiency, N-hydraulics, integrated power electronics and intelligent controls. All these features are designed to work in harmony with each other, which results in optimal pumping performance at the lowest cost of ownership.

Flygt Concertor’s flexible performance represents a significant change in how pumping systems will be selected and managed in order to accommodate different flow rates. In contrast to the fixed performance curves of conventional pumps, Flygt Concertor offers a wide performance field from which to choose the right operating point. This makes selection extremely simple, facilitates performance fine-tuning and, as a consequence, significantly reduces inventory.

Furthermore, Concertor features a built-in sump and pipe-cleaning features – a first for a wastewater pumping system. Extensive trials show that these features, together with a second generation of Flygt’s patented Adaptive N-technology and an integrated pump-cleaning function, minimize vacuum cleaning costs. When tested at a pumping station in Heathrow Airport, the combined performance of these functionalities successfully eliminated regular clogging issues and kept the sump clean.

“Since installing Concertor we have had absolutely no clogging and the sump remains clean,” said Ian Jolly, Systems Specialist for Water, Heathrow Airport Water Services Department. “As well as peace of mind, the cost savings are approximately 87.5 percent of the annual costs in cleaning and servicing.”

Flygt Concertor provides customers with the technology needed to increase the sustainability of their wastewater management operations. Frost & Sullivan’s report European Smart Pumps Market for the Water and Wastewater Industry* notes that an ongoing focus on improving energy efficiency and reducing the total cost of ownership of pumps is likely to increase demand for intelligent pumping solutions. In addition, aging infrastructure, increased global urbanisation and rising energy costs make sustainable wastewater pumping systems an urgent priority.

“The development of Flygt Concertor is another demonstration of Xylem’s commitment to develop innovative and integrated designs that meet the future challenges of the industry,” said Christian Wiklund, Vice-President, Director of Product Development. “We know that the answer to these challenges is not more components and complexity, but rather sophisticated, user-friendly pumping systems like Concertor.”

Concertor shares a rich heritage with other Flygt innovations. One notable example from mid-1950 is when the team introduced the world’s first submersible wastewater pump – vastly reducing the space required for modern pumping stations. In 1997 Flygt engineers invented a revolutionary self-cleaning hydraulic design that enables sustained pumping efficiency, and in 2011, they integrated their wastewater process knowledge into an intelligent wastewater control, which included patented functions such as the Flygt Energy Minimizer.

“We are determined to push the limits of technology to create the highest quality, most reliable and sustainable wastewater pumping systems on the market. Flygt Concertor is the realization of that ambition,” said Peter Lewington, Director Wastewater Pumping. “It is our customers’ needs that drive us, and at the end of the day, their peace of mind is the true measure of our success.”