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It is sometimes impossible to supply a basin with water by gravity alone, as is the case for whitewater courses installed in watercourses. To address this limitation, a pumping station can be installed, enabling the facility to be used with a high degree of flexibility and safety.
The pumping station is a reinforced-concrete structure, designed according to the characteristics required for the stadium (head/flow rate) and the nature of the soil, which determines the foundation system. The pumps commonly used for pumping stations are submersible axial-flow propeller pumps (they are also used in wastewater treatment plants, for example). Typically, the pumps lift 1 to 5 m3/s through a head of 2 to 5 metres or more. Each pumping unit is installed in a usually vertical metal tube, the downstream section of which is submerged. Installing several pumps provides a high degree of flow-rate flexibility.
Operating principle of a pumping station: The selection is determined according to numerous parameters (water characteristics, total head, distance between the discharge point and the intake, variation in water levels, unit flow rate of each pump, etc.). The pump is used to raise the water from the start of the whitewater course and enables the control and/or variation of the water flow along the course, depending, for example, on the participants’ skill level. Thus, the supply system of a whitewater course can operate in a closed circuit, as was implemented in Sydney. Water is pumped from the basin outlet back to the start using more or fewer pumps depending on the situation. A pumping station can also supplement the gravity-fed supply during low-flow periods.
This pumping-station system is used for whitewater courses, as well as for the Flowsurf and the RiverBox.
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The Cesson-Sévigné whitewater stadium was built in 1997 by EDF on a discharge channel of the Vilaine River. The ageing facility required rehabilitation works to bring it up to the standards...
The Saint-Laurent-Blangy whitewater stadium is distinguished by the use of a pumping station in addition to gravity-fed water. This structure thereby ensures optimal operation of the facility. The...
