Unlocking Efficiency: The Auto-Throttle Feature from LightSpeed
After more than 45 years pumping liquids, Puck knows how hard it can be to balance multiple pumps in a line. Maintaining flow rates and minimizing catastrophic risks are vital to a job’s quality and can be made even more difficult with a small crew. Puck spent years developing and testing an automated pump control solution that led to the creation of LightSpeed.
LightSpeed gives operators full, remote controls of every pump in the line. Whether you’re operating your line via the pump’s integrated hardware or sitting in your truck on a smartphone, LightSpeed puts the control in your hands. Operating parameters of each pump on site are transmitted through LightSpeed around 3-4 times every second for near real-time data. Flow rate, pit levels, pressures, and more are all available to you from any connected, web-enabled device.
Auto-Throttle Streamlines Performance
With LightSpeed’s Auto-Throttle settings, you no longer need to constantly monitor pressure regulation. Enter your desired inlet and outlet pressures and LightSpeed will automatically throttle the engine of each pump up or down to meet user-defined parameters. The instant changes to pressure help minimize the chance of cavitation while maximizing flow rates. Your operation’s efficiency will improve with less downtime and fewer catastrophic repairs.
On booster pumps, auto-throttle can control the inlet and outlet pressure at the pump. With lead pumps, LightSpeed’s auto-throttle can control the flow rate in addition to the pressure regulation. Auto-throttle will instantly increase or decrease RPM to meet the preset operational parameters of each pump. LightSpeed’s warning indicators for machine vitals and operating parameters will notify you when changes are detected, even as auto-throttle makes the necessary adjustments. The remote, real-time monitoring adds an additional layer of safety and security on the job.
Enhancing Safety: The Role of Auto-Throttle in Risk Mitigation
If the closest crew member is a mile away when a lone booster pump blows a line, there’s no time to waste regarding damage control. LightSpeed can notify you of the change in pressure, and you can instantly shut down the engine of that pump and close the gate. However, that still requires a human reaction time. Auto-throttle detects the change in pressure and immediately throttles the engine down and shuts the booster pump’s gate. It can even adjust other pumps in the line to account for the change. The few seconds difference between your reaction time and LightSpeed’s automatic adjustments can make a big difference when reporting spills to the proper authorities.
Manually controlling pumps in a line that spans miles is a daunting task. That only gets more difficult as crew sizes shrink. Auto-throttle gives you the comfort of knowing that your pumps are being monitored at all times with near-instant reaction times to any changes in the line. Standard equipped on all Puck pumps, LightSpeed’s advanced pump protection technology is always keeping an eye on the operation.
To learn more about LightSpeed’s Auto-Throttle and how automated controls can help protect your pump, watch our videos. Or, call your sales representative to learn more at (712) 655-9200.
