KSB launches revolutionary Imvubu wastewater pump

KSB’s ELN-150 Imvubu is a new wastewater pump with a ‘mouth’ large enough to pass 77.3 mm solids, achieving a hydraulic efficiency of 65%. Designed, developed and manufactured by KSB Pumps and Valves in South Africa, this new pump uses the best available global technology and optimises it for the harsh conditions of Africa.

The new South African-designed and manufactured KSB ELN-150 Imvubu pump is a breakthrough in wastewater handling in South Africa. 

KSB has officially launched the KSB ELN-150 Imvubu, a rugged new self-priming wastewater pump developed and built in South Africa specifically for African operating conditions.

Named after the Imvubu, which is the Zulu word for hippopotamus, the name carries a double meaning, referring to its distinctive top-mounted lifting ‘ears’ that mimic its profile in water. At the same time, its massive free-pass mouth and formidable strength mirror the exceptional solids handling ability that swallows up oversized waste, attesting to the toughness and power of its design.

KSB Pumps and Valves product manager for wastewater, Hugo du Plessis, says the KSB Imvubu is the result of years of development, which measured the strengths and limitations of earlier self-priming pumps used in municipal wastewater networks across Southern Africa. During this time, KSB Pumps and Valves' engineering team worked closely with municipalities and industry operators to understand the realities they face daily, including clogging, solids carry-over, complex maintenance, pump failures in remote areas and the need for equipment that is easy to service in places where skills are often scarce and uptime is critical to prevent spills.

“We live in South Africa and can see the challenges of dealing with sewerage and wastewater. We also listened to the market, where customers told us exactly where the problems lie in terms of pump clogging, difficult seal replacement, thin casings that wear quickly and designs that do not stand up to raw, unscreened sewage. This culminated in the development of the KSB Imvubu pump, which addresses the market’s needs. It is proudly designed and manufactured in South Africa and takes the best global technology and optimises it for African conditions,” says du Plessis.

He explains that the KSB Imvubu pump was developed using advanced CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelling and efficiency redesigns of the impeller, volute and hydraulic passageways. The result is significantly improved pumping performance, now reaching more than 65% hydraulic efficiency, which places it well ahead of competitor self-priming pumps currently in service. Critically, the pump achieves a 77.3 mm free-pass solids handling capability exceeding the global raw sewage benchmark of 76 mm. In real-world operation, that 1.3 mm can be the difference between uninterrupted pumping and a costly blockage.

“The free pass is what sets us apart. It is market-leading, which means that if a pump can pass a larger solid, it will clog less. It is that simple, and less clogging means less callouts, less downtime and less cost.”

In addition, the KSB Imvubu features bearings-for-life with no oil lubrication required. Unlike competing pumps that require oil chambers, top-up checks, and a risk of contamination, the KSB Imvubu pump utilises grease-for-life bearings and KSB’s own mechanical seal, which is lubricated by the pumped medium itself. This makes the pump environmentally cleaner, safer to maintain and significantly simpler to service. The pump body is also cast with thick, heavy-duty volute walls to resist erosion and extend operating life. Its smart design includes an inspection hatch that allows staff to clear blockages without removing the suction cover, a significant advantage for treatment plant technicians and municipal maintenance teams.

“We know that South Africa’s wastewater infrastructure is under immense strain with limited resources and ever-rising sewage volumes, which means equipment must be robust and easy to service to ensure its longevity. These are exactly the issues we have considered and served as guiding principles for our Imvubu pump. Our design directly addresses the problems encountered in the field. We designed this pump specifically for Africa, which is why it is designed to be easily maintained using basic tools and can be speed-adjusted through simple pulley changes. It can also perform the job of two pumps by easily transitioning from low to high heads and low to high flows, eliminating the need for a second pump. It can even be mounted on diesel skids for remote pumping or emergency use during floods. It is versatile, strong and practical,” says Hugo.

Applications extend beyond municipal wastewater to mining sumps, industrial effluent, pulp and paper, agricultural waste dams, river abstraction and portable dewatering units. The pump has already proven itself during extended testing at the Drakenstein Wastewater Treatment Works in the Western Cape, where it has operated continuously with excellent results.

Because the KSB Imvubu pump is 100% locally manufactured, it aligns strongly with the Department of Trade and Industry’s localisation incentives, which support South African industry and local employment. It also positions KSB Pumps and Valves as a major contributor in the export of high-value engineered products into Sub-Saharan Africa and other regions where similarly robust and versatile pumps are required.

“This is a pump we are proud to build in South Africa, as it keeps our people employed and shows that we can compete and lead international brands. We like to think that we do not follow; we leapfrog. Our Imvubu pump is a direct answer for many of the failures making national headlines, and the timing in this period of regeneration could not be more significant. Municipalities and utilities urgently need equipment that can keep working away with minimum attention and maintenance to clear the backlog – and we are proud to say the answer is the KSB Imvubu,” Hugo concludes.

www.ksb.com

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