Does our test stand comply with any international certification?
There is no specific international certification for the design and construction of hydraulic test benches for centrifugal pumps. However, there are standards that define how hydraulic test results should be performed and interpreted.
For example, ISO 9906:2012+A1:2018 and ANSI/HI 14.6-2016 provide guidelines and recommendations for testing and measuring the performance of centrifugal pumps, including the necessary test procedures, and measuring instruments. These standards also establish acceptance criteria for test results, allowing performance, efficiency, NPSHr, etc. to be evaluated in a standardized manner.
In any case, it is important that the Test Bench meets the necessary safety and quality requirements, and that accurate and calibrated measuring instruments are used to ensure that the test results are reliable and traceable.
How does the Test Bench benefit our customers?
The direct benefit that our customers receive is that we ensure that we deliver a 100% certified product with certified performance curves in accordance with the standard. In practice, this means that when installing the equipment in the system for which it was designed, if there is any deviation from the process requirement, it allows us to direct our efforts to solve the deviation only towards the elements of the system, since the pump is designed and fully validated for what is required.
Another benefits present are:
Verification of performance specifications: The Test Bench allows us to verify that each pump meets the performance specifications agreed with the customer, which guarantees that the pump will perform optimally in its specific application.
Quality assurance: The tests performed in the Test Bench allow us to detect any defects or problems in the pump before delivery, which reduces the risk of failure and guarantees the quality of the product.
Having 100% validated and tested pumping equipment results in significant savings in time and money.
Why did VOGT decide to implement such a test bench?
Mainly as part of our modernization process of both our manufacturing and quality control, we decided to implement a more ergonomic, mechanized, specific and automated Test Bench that would allow us to speed up our tests and improve their accuracy. On the other hand, the new Test Bench offers our customers the possibility of observing in real time and remotely the execution of the hydraulic tests of each of their equipment.
The important capabilities of our Test Bench allow us to offer our customers, both mining and high industry, the possibility of certifying and/or verifying the performance of their high-end equipment (power, size or criticality) particularly in those occasions when such validation is required, based on disputes that usually occur in the field after repairs made by third parties, or in new projects in which recertification would require a logistical requirement of great impact.
Will it be used only to certify VOGT equipment, or can it be used to validate equipment from customers and/or other manufacturers?
Our Test Bench will be available to be used by the market quite extensively, this includes our customers, as well as service companies that require to certify the correct execution of their work with a final performance test.
In general terms, we hope that this investment will not only translate into a direct support to the industry, but will also be an important contribution to the training of our engineers of the present and future, via a close approach with the entities dedicated to the training of these professionals.
