The shift in dredge pump efficiency after switching to variable frequency drives surprised me

I worked on the same stretch of the Mississippi River outside Baton Rouge for about 8 years. For the first 5 years we ran our 14-inch dredge pump at a fixed speed no matter what. The pipeline would surge and cavitate something fierce when we hit dense clay layers. Then in 2020 the company finally let me install a variable frequency drive on the main pump motor. The difference was night and day after just two weeks. We cut our diesel consumption by 18 percent and the pump wear dropped way down. The key was being able to ramp up slowly instead of slamming it full throttle. Has anyone else seen big changes like this after adding VFDs to older equipment?

2 comments

2 Comments

zara_hunt1mo ago

Did a buddy see similar gains on his irrigation pump after switching to a VFD?

wren9761mo ago

You tried a VFD on your own setup? Mine cut my power bill by about 15 percent on the well pump, took a bit to tune though.