Overview
Renewable energy promises a clean energy future with renewables increasingly displacing fossil fuels in the power sector, offering the benefit of lower emissions of carbon and other types of pollution and our products are ideally suited for renewable energy plants.
Addressing solar, wind, geothermal and biomass generation, we offer single-, dual- and multi-stage pumping solutions. Our hot well pumps, hydraulic submersible pumps, condensing pumps, vacuum pumps and circulation pumps are installed in a large number of geothermal sites globally. Their rugged construction means that they are able to deal with the most extreme downhole operating conditions (with exceptional resilience to heat, shock and vibration).
In regard to harnessing solar energy, our technology is featured in many concentrated solar facilities - with boiler feed pumps, heat transfer pumps, tank pumps, vacuum pumps, condensate extraction pumps, cooling water pumps, control valves and isolation valves all being sourced from us.
Concentrated Solar
Concentrated Solar Plants have a number of applications well suited to our range of products. Boiler feed pumps (BFP) are critical to the efficient functioning of all concentrated solar plants. BFP’s deliver boiler feed water, which is heated by solar energy to form steam, driving the plants main generating turbines.
ClydeUnion Pumps provides boiler feed applications on solar power projects from our extensive range of multi-stage dual volute and double case diffuser pumps, which are designed with a higher head per stage capability than industry standards, meaning that fewer stages are needed, resulting inimproved shaft deflection characteristics of the pumps.
Cooling water pumps (CWP) circulate cooling water from a source (river, lake, estuary, sea or cooling towers) to condense steam in the condensers and to provide auxiliary water for various applications. ClydeUnion Pumps provides cooling water pumps on solar power projects from our extensive range of large capacity vertical turbine pumps or horizontal volute pumps, which ensure optimum operational performance and longer times between overhauls - an important consideration for concentrated solar plants in remote locations. These pumps grant trouble free operation together with reduced through life costs.
Heat transfer pumps (HTP) are used to pump synthetic oil which has been heated by concentrated sunlight to temperatures of approximately 400°C (750ºF). Hot oil is pumped to a generating station through a heat exchanger raising steam to drive electricity generating turbines. With over 600 pumps installed globally, we take pride in the proven reliability of our heat transfer pumps from our single and multi-stage between bearings pumps range - heavy duty pumps that operate robustly at elevated temperatures
Condensate extraction pumps (CEP) are used to pump water from the condenser. As in other types of power plants, the water is pumped from near vacuum, therefore the pumps are generally of the vertical canister design.
ClydeUnion Pumps can service condensate extraction applications on solar power projects from our extensive range of single and multi-stage vertical canister pumps which are available with single or double entry first stage impellers to suit all site conditions.
The start-stop cycle requirements inherent in concentrated solar plants are among the most demanding in power generation. Our experience with traditional plants enables us to offer reliable solutions using proven technology. Key priorities of high quality and reliability enable smooth operation and maximum availability, while minimising throughlife costs
Geothermal
ClydeUnion Pumps has been involved in geothermal power projects since the 1980s. We manufacture a range of pumps matched precisely to the conditions in geothermal plants, including hot well pumps for transferring fluid out of the ground, condensing pumps, vacuum pumps for non-condensable geothermal fluids, circulation pumps for moving the condensate through the system, and injection pumps for transferring the fluid back into the geothermal chamber.
One of the key challenges faced by the geothermal power industry is downhole pumping. Challenges such as pumping corrosive fluids at extreme depths and temperatures create difficulties in maximising reliable energy output. ClydeUnion Pumps has developed unique solutions to address these issues and to aid in maximising the efficiency of geothermal plants, including our specialised Hydraulic Submersible Pump (HSP) which has a range of advantages for geothermal well brine lift:
• Fluid turbine driven, requiring no electrical systems, enabling reliable installation at great depths.
• Capable of operating reliably at fluid temperatures in excess of 220ºC
• Engineered to be resistant to aggressive well fluids
The HSP can offer unrivalled flexibility, availability and reliability for well pumping and meets the demanding mean time to failure requirements in geothermal applications. All of these features combine in the HSP to enable major improvements to the economic viability and return from a geothermal project.
