Acceptance test

Acceptance tests are often also referred to as acceptance testing. This process consists of carrying out a test in order to verify the technical guarantees agreed between the customer and the contractor in the supply contract by measuring the guaranteed quantities. The process is subject to defined acceptance test codes. Furthermore, the acceptance test can be used to check other technical quantities and properties of the pump insofar as these form part of the technical guarantee. These include stable H/Q curve, power input at zero flow and maximum power input, reverse running speed, leakage, smooth running and noises.

Possible locations for the acceptance test are the pump test facility belonging to the pump manufacturer or a neutral institution or, in the case of centrifugal pumps with very high input powers and casings that cannot be dismantled (e.g. a concrete casing pump), the pump installation at the actual site. The location, time, scope and costs of the acceptance test must be agreed in the supply contract. See Fig. 6 Cooling water pump 

Before the acceptance test is carried out, the customer and contractor should clarify the following issues and the answers should be incorporated into the order confirmation: Which acceptance test codes are to apply? What measurement uncertainties are permissible? Which operating points can be tested on the pump test facility using cold water or the actual fluid that is to be handled? Is the pump to be operated at full rotational speed or can it be run at a reduced speed? Which efficiency scale-up formulae are to be applied? Which operating conditions prevail in the installation when the acceptance test is carried out or still need to be created?

When comparing the efficiency calculated from the measured data with the guaranteed efficiency, the issue of bonus (target exceeded) or malus (target undershot) may also play a role.