The facility (above) is one of more than 17 that Sulzer operates worldwide. It can test pumps and compressors absorbing over 25MW and Sulzer is thought to be the only pump manufacturer in the world to undertake testing on this scale in house.

Because of the need to provide non-stop pump testing, the 18MW motor is rated for continuous operation. The design provides Sulzer with the flexibility to use eight different methods of cooling to suit different applications.

The Leeds facility can perform horizontal, vertical, open-pit, high flow rate/high energy and multiphase testing. It can conduct tests at 50Hz or 60Hz and string-test large high-energy pumps to prove pump packages to customers without having to build the sets at third-party sites. This is particularly important for offshore applications where on-site correction is expensive and time-consuming.