Rivers • lakes • reservoirs
River & Surface Water Pumping
Solution
Pump water from rivers, lakes, reservoirs and canals with a system matched to suction conditions, flow and total head. HOBER matches the surface pump, the solar pumping inverter and the PV configuration for distributors, installers and EPC contractors.
A river water source
The system
From the River to the Delivery Point
The station stands above the water, and the array feeds the drive that runs the pump.
-
Solar PV array Generates DC power from sunlight.
-
HOBER solar pumping inverter Controls pump operation and adapts to changing solar input. Control includes MPPT, soft start and soft stop, dry-run and level protection, system protection and optional remote monitoring where the model carries it.
-
Surface pump Draws the water up through the suction line and lifts it into the discharge.
-
Water delivery Supplies water to storage tanks, distribution lines or an irrigation system.
The pump models, their figures and their curves are published with the range. The pump is matched into the system as a whole, together with the drive and the array.
Engineering challenge
Surface Pumping Starts on the Suction Side
A station that stands above the water is selected on the suction side, not on the duty point alone.
A surface system cannot be read on pump power. The suction lift the station has to draw through, the state of the intake and its priming, the flow the project needs and the head the water has to be delivered through decide the pump. The height the station stands at is part of that selection, not a site detail left to installation.
- Water source What is the source the station draws from?
- Suction lift How far below the pump does the water stand?
- Suction pipe length How long is the run from the water to the pump inlet?
- Required flow How much water is required?
- Total head How high and how far is the water delivered?
- Pipe diameter What are the suction and discharge pipe diameters?
Not sure about total head?
The pipe friction loss calculator works out total dynamic head from the static head, the pipe friction loss and the fittings loss.
Project data
Project Data We Need
The figures the pump, the drive and the array are matched on, and where each one is read.
The water source
- Water source river, lake, reservoir or canal
- Water level variation how far the level moves between seasons
- Intake condition clean, silty, weed or debris
- Distance to the station m, if the station is set back from the water
The duty
- Required flow m³/h
- Required total head m, including the pipe loss
- Suction lift m from the water surface to the pump inlet
- Discharge distance and height m to the delivery point
The pipework and the supply
- Suction pipe length and diameter m, and mm or ″
- Discharge pipe length and diameter m, and mm or ″
- Power source solar only, solar + grid, or solar + generator
- Pump already on site an existing pump to keep, or a new selection
System matching
From Project Data to System Matching
HOBER reads the source, the suction side and the duty point against the range and matches the pump, the drive and the array to them.
- Project data
- HOBER matching
- The system
Example
Example project data
- Flow
- 45 m³/h
- Total head
- 60 m
- Suction lift
- 4 m
- Water source
- River, open intake
The system the data resolves to
- Surface pump
- Solar pumping inverter
- PV configuration
- System protection
The figures are an illustrative example of how a project is read, not a product claim: the source, the suction lift and the duty point decide the pump.
Product data
Need surface pump models, specifications or Q-H curves?
The pump models, the technical specifications and the performance curves are published series by series, and every series carries its own Q-H curve.
Models · Specifications · Q-H curves · Technical data
Applications
Where River and Surface Water Systems Are Used
-
Surface water sources
A river, lake, reservoir or canal, pumped from the bank.
-
Livestock and rural water supply
Surface water lifted to a trough and to a village water point.
-
Storage for pumped surface water
Water held in a tank for the hours of the day it is wanted.
-
Remote and off-grid sites
A station away from any grid, running on the array alone.
Installations
Installations in Service
Photographs of HOBER equipment on site.
-
Water pipework at a reservoir. -
The inverter display in service. -
Storage and the array in one view.
Support
System Matching Support Before Installation
The pump is only one part of a reliable surface water pumping system.
HOBER works on the system rather than the pump alone, from the project data to commissioning.
-
The system
River and surface water pumping system
- PV array
- Inverter / controller
- Surface pump
- Water delivery
- Pump Matching Read the duty point and the suction lift against the pump performance.
- PV Sizing Configure the PV array according to pump and inverter requirements.
- Inverter Matching Match the pump motor voltage, phase and power to the correct solar pumping inverter.
- System Design Coordinate pump, inverter, array, suction line and system protection.
- Installation Guidance Support wiring, priming, parameter settings and commissioning.
- Troubleshooting Support Technical support for distributors and installers when a site issue occurs.
Support for the people who do the work:
Surface water projects
Have a River or Surface Water Pumping Project?
Send us the source, the suction conditions and the water requirements. HOBER can help match the surface pump, the solar pumping inverter and the PV configuration for your project.
Project inquiry
The water source and the duty point
For distributors, installers and project contractors. Any figure may be left open — what is missing we confirm with you before the system is quoted.