Nursery maximizes pump use with new VFD

Clint Bottenberg, production manager for Hans Nelson & Sons Nursery, reports the nursery has cut pump energy use by more than half thanks to a new variable frequency drive.

At the Hans Nelson & Sons Nursery in Boring, acres of young maples, dogwoods and other trees need water — sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. But the 50-horsepower irrigation pump installed last year always delivered water at maximum flow. They needed a way to use the pump at a reduced flow.

To solve the problem, the nursery installed a variable frequency drive (VFD) that adjusts the pump speed. This regulates water flow and cuts operating costs.

Now, the nursery is saving water and saving approximately 19,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. That’s a 52 percent reduction in pumping energy use. The company also earned a $3,572 cash incentive from Energy Trust of Oregon to help offset project costs.

“We’re really happy with the savings and the flexibility of the VFD. It has allowed us to use the pumping system more effectively,” says Clint Bottenberg, production manager. “Before the pump ran wide open all the time and now the computer in the VFD adjusts the frequency as needed so we are able to water as few or as many trees as we want.”

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