A scarce commodity
ANDRITZ supplies 27 vertical volute pumps for the Kaleshwaram irrigation project in Telangana, India.
Over recent years India, especially Telangana State, has been hit by extremely high temperatures creating problems for irrigation and crops, diminishing economic development and causing human tragedies. With a series of irrigation projects in the overarching Jala Yagnam project, the local government has undertaken measures to solve the irrigation problem for about 3.3 million hectares of agricultural land (8,2 million acres).
Vertical volute pumps installed at one pumping station for the Kaleshwaram project
A unique multi-stage lift irrigation project
The Kaleshwaram project is one of the largest sub-projects, designed to store about 4.7 trillion liters of water in order to irrigate 740,000 hectares (1,828580 acres). This project comprises a dam and several pumping stations with reservoirs. Water is transported over a height of 500 m (1,640 feet) and a distance of 200 km (656,168 feet). It is the first multi-stage lift irrigation project of this magnitude and complexity in India. It also contains the longest water transport tunnel in Asia, extending over a distance of 81 km connecting the dam to a reservoir. An irrigation project of this kind is unique, not just in India, but worldwide.
3D model of vertical volute pump
The returning pump supplier
ANDRITZ was awarded the contract with a partner who is supplying the motors. The international technology group is supporting the Jala Yagnam infrastructure project in a total of eleven sub-projects. ANDRITZ manufactures 27 customized vertical volute pumps for three pumping stations, each with an efficiency of up to 90%. Depending on the plant concerned, a single pump achieves heads between 25 and 107 meters (82 and 351 feet) and handles a flow rate of 31.1 to 83 cubic meters per second (8,215.7 to 21,926.3 gallons). A special feature of these pumps is that they are similar to turbines due to their impressive size, with a Francis impeller of 3.5 meters (11.4 feet), a total weight of 130 up to 200 tonnes per pump, and a spiral outlet diameter of 5.5 meters (18 feet), large enough to park a truck comfortably. Completion of the entire project is scheduled for June 2019.
3D model of vertical volute pump
