Pumps & Systems Podcast

Episode 23 features Gene Vogel, the pump and vibration specialist for the Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA). Get to know Vogel here as he describes his history and how the EASA convention has changed over the years. Industrial internet of things (IIoT) was a big topic, as usual, as Vogel gave a presentation on how to deal with IIoT, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Vogel also gave some insight into what's next for IIoT and motors. Subscribe on all podcast platforms. Email host Drew Champlin at dchamplin@cahabamedia.com

John Masters of Danfoss Drives joins the Pumps & Systems podcast to talk Municipal Water and Wastewater Facility Energy Neutrality. Among topics for discussion: What is energy neutrality? What are benefits? Masters shares some examples of facilities that have used energy neutrality technologies and how it has worked. How broadly are these technologies deployed? What are challenges along the way? What needs to be done to encourage further participation? What is the next step? Subscribe to the Pumps & Systems podcast on Apple, Google, Stitcher and more. Visit pumpsandsystems.com/podcasts to hear every episode. Email host Drew Champlin at dchamplin@cahabamedia.com for questions and suggestions.

Patrick Hogg joins the Pumps & Systems podcast to talk understanding motor applications: important application factors that are important to the design of a motor. Hogg, who appeared on Episode 1 of the podcast, has more than a decade experience in the motors industry. Hogg discusses things that make motors standard and what could make them special, including: nameplate rating, load type, duty cycle, starting, enclosures, connection and special protection for VFD use. Subscribe to the Pumps & Systems podcast on all podcast platforms and visit pumpsandsystems.com/podcasts for other episodes.

John Wallace, sales director U.S. and Canada, Diaphragm Group for Wilden and PSG. He joins the podcast to make people aware of how to identify and avoid counterfeit (pirated) Air Operated Double Diaphragm (AODD) pump parts. Wallace wrote about this in the March 2019 issue of Pumps & Systems. Some topics for discussion include: What does the word pirated or counterfeit mean in relation to pump parts? Where do we most see this? Where are the frauds coming from? What are the warning signs? How are people getting tricked into buying pirated parts? What is different about the counterfeit parts compared to ones made by the OEM? What can go wrong with using parts not manufactured by the OEM? What are final lessons?

Steve Zakula, a senior product marketing manager, joins the Pumps & Systems podcast to discuss the harmonics mitigation process as it relates to variable frequency drives (VFDs). Some questions include: What are harmonics? Where are harmonics commonly found? Why should we be concerned about harmonics? What are ways to avoid or mitigate harmonics? If you have harmonics, how do you get rid of them? Subscribe to the Pumps & Systems podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts and all other podcast platforms. Email host Drew Champlin at dchamplin@cahabamedia.com

Herman Coello, a level marketing manager at Siemens, joined the podcast to talk economy pumping using ultrasonic level controllers (ULC). It’s well known in the water and wastewater industries that pumps are the energy hogs generally accounting for over 50 percent of the electricity consumption. The EPA estimates that optimizing pumping systems can save up to 20 percent in energy costs. However, it is important that optimizing daily pumping routines becomes the first step in this strategy, because it alone can save up to 15% of energy costs. This includes determining how much motors and pumps cost to operate, then, how much it is costs to operate these pumps at variable electricity rates and finally, how much can be saved by scheduling pumping routines around supplier energy rates. The latter is known as economy pumping and significant savings can be realized by utilizing advanced ultrasonic level controllers endowed with energy saving algorithms. Here are some key questions answered by Coello on the podcast: Explain the “economy of pumping.” How does energy management for pump operation relate to the Cost of Water? Who should be concerned in finding ways to reduce electricity cost when it comes to the high energy consumption by motor driven pumps in the water and waste water treatment sector? Are ULCs straight forward to setup when implementing economy pumping schedules? Is the cost of ULCs justifiable to take advantage of the off-peak electricity costs; in other words, how soon can the return on investment be realized? What other benefits besides reducing energy consumption can be achieved with advanced ultrasonic level controllers? Is there an easy and practical way to estimate the electricity costs due motor driven pumps? SEPCO is the presenting sponsor of this podcast. Visit sepco.com, email info@sepco.com or call 800.633.4770 for your sealing system solution needs and tell them you heard about SEPCO on the Pumps & Systems podcast. Subscribe to the Pumps & Systems podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Castbox and other podcasting applications. Visit pumpsandsystems.com/podcasts for more episodes. Email host Drew Champlin at dchamplin@cahabamedia.com.

Augury co-founder and CEO Saar Yoskovitz joins Drew Champlin on the Pumps & Systems podcast to talk about the current state and future of predictive maintenance. Topics include predictive maintenance using Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). Companies were slow to adapt to IoT, and Yoskovitz gives insight on how he feels adjustment to IoT and AI will unfold over the next few years based on his company's work. What is predictive maintenance and how is it different from reactive and preventative maintenance? Yoskovitz shares his insights. SEPCO is the presenting sponsor of this podcast. Visit sepco.com, email info@sepco.com or call 800.633.4770 for your sealing system solution needs and tell them you heard about SEPCO on the Pumps & Systems podcast. Subscribe to the Pumps & Systems podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts and more. Hear all episodes at pumpsandsystems.com/podcasts.

Nicole George, product manager of pumping variable frequency drives (VFD) from Eaton, joins the Pumps & Systems podcast. Here, we talk about Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for pumping systems. SEPCO is the presenting sponsor of this podcast. Visit sepco.com, email info@sepco.com or call 800.633.4770 for your sealing system solution needs and tell them you heard about SEPCO on the Pumps & Systems podcast. George explains how the IoT relates to the pumping system and what it means to be intelligent. How is IoT compatible with VFDs? Listen for your answer here. Other topics discussed include: The different players of the value chain and how they benefit from adopting IoT connected systems. How IoT-enabled pumps can help manage operation more efficiently. How cloud-connected and VFD-powered data analytics and health monitoring help save on labor costs. Subscribe and listen to the Pumps & Systems podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts and more podcasting apps. Email host Drew Champlin at dchamplin@cahabamedia.com.

Jacob Middleton and Dan Loflin of Siemens join the Pumps & Systems podcast to discuss the latest in pump motor maintenance and downtime prevention. Some topics on the podcast include: Why pump health is important to uptime and operations Efficiency measures in pump starts and stops Return on investment of soft motor starters Why pump cleaning is important Basics of motor starters Latest in motor starter technology and what's next in motor starter technology SEPCO is the presenting sponsor of this podcast. Visit sepco.com, email info@sepco.com or call 800.633.4770 for your sealing system solution needs and tell them you heard about SEPCO on the Pumps & Systems podcast.

Bob "Hot Rod" Rohr of Caleffi joins the Pumps & Systems podcast this episode to talk the basics of ECM pump technology in HVAC systems. We talk about the importance of the AHR Expo, which will be Jan. 14-16, 2019, at the Atlanta World Congress Center. Go here to register: http://registration.experientevent.com/ShowAHR191 Rohr, a training manager, explains what ECM technology is and how long it has been around. More things you'll learn in this podcast: * the difference between ECM technology and VFD and inverter drives * common applications where ECM technology is used * why some are hesitant to adapt to ECM technology * what magnetic separators are and why they are important * basics of closed loop systems * factors for efficient hydronic system design This podcast is sponsored by Grundfos. You can learn more about Grundfos’ intelligent pump systems at www.grundfos.us Subscribe to the Pumps & Systems podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts and more.

Robin MacMillan of National Oilwell Varco joins the Pumps and Systems podcast to give his take on what is going on with oil and gas. Search for the Pumps & Systems podcast on Apple iTunes, Google podcasts and more and subscribe. We hit some key trends that we see and what we need to look out for. Other questions include: What is something that could cause the price to raise? Or fall? What segments of your business are seeing the most growth right now? Technologies getting traction in the current market? What trends do you see regarding business models, big data and cybersecurity. This podcast is sponsored by WorldWide Electric. Visit them online at worldwideelectric.net and to see all of WorldWide's affordable and reliable motor and control solutions today.

Submersible Wastewater Pump Association (SWPA) executive director Adam Stolberg and president Lisa Riles (of Xylem) join the Pumps & Systems podcast. SWPA finished its annual meeting in Chicago on Nov. 15, 2018. Topics addressed in this podcast include: SWPA goals for 2019 Why training is important in the industry How companies can recruit and retain employees How the industry is addressing the problem non-flushable wipes are causing for wastewater treatment facilities. Why systems approach is important for pump professionals to understand. How the recent Infrastructure Bill will impact wastewater plants in the U.S. over the next couple of years. Subscribe to the Pumps & Systems podcast on Apple iTunes, Google podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Castbox and more. Email host Drew Champlin at dchamplin@cahabamedia.com.

Pumps & Systems magazine columnist William Livoti makes his second appearance on the podcast. For reference, check out Episode 3 as he spoke on common reasons why pump systems are poorly designed. One reason is a lack of a general scope document (GSD) or an inadequate GSD. In this episode, Livoti hits the parts of a GSD, how long a GSD should be, how long it should take to write one and a problem associated with a GSD. Listen to all Pumps & Systems podcasts on pumpsandsystems.com/podcasts and subscribe on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, SoundCloud, Stitcher and Castbox.

Alexandra Gunderson, a data scientist from Arundo Analytics, joins the Pumps & Systems podcast to talk about unstructured data and its relationship to pumps. The interview with Gunderson explores the barriers unstructured data presents for asset-heavy businesses pursuing digital transformation, as well as the innovative solutions being developed in response. Additional insights relevant to the pump industry and enterprises that employ pumps and pump equipment in this context will also be discussed. Subscribe to the Pumps & Systems podcast on Apple podcasts, Stitcher, SoundCloud, CastBox and more.

Chuck Fernandez, Siemens product manager for low voltage enclosed drives, joins the Pumps & Systems podcast to talk variable frequency drive (VFD) options to meet IEEE 519 standards. What is the best drive technology to ensure compliance with IEEE Std. 519 in municipal pumping projects? There’s no simple answer. Each situation and application is different. Fernandez explains the differences and benefits of five different technologies including active front end (AFE) and 18 pulse. It is aimed at the end user and EPC engineers who are seeking to apply VFDs in these critical applications.