Few spaces in the slurry pumping industry are as innovative and well-known as GIW Industries Inc.’s Hydraulic Lab. This large-scale testing facility is equipped for testing pump performance and optimizing slurry systems. Of course, this state-of-the art laboratory benefits GIW’s internal research and development team by giving its members a venue to evaluate and develop new pump technologies and features. However, its sole purpose is to assist customers as they seek ways to improve all areas of their slurry transport applications.
A legacy in customer care
This commitment to long-term hands-on customer care is what led GIW to open the lab in 1956. Since that time, GIW’s slurry pump experts have completed over 350 pipeline tests. It’s also where they’ve hosted their annual Slurry Transport using Centrifugal Pumps course for the last 41 years.
The course, developed for engineers, provides a hands-on opportunity to learn about slurry system design and pump applications from world-renowned experts in the field. It’s a learning opportunity that extends far beyond a GIW-centric approach to pumps and parts. The course focuses on real-world results that engineers can take home and apply to their organizations’ specific applications.
Course attendees aren’t the only ones who benefit from this facility. Beyond the Slurry Transport Course, the Hydraulic Lab serves as a testing and training facility for all things slurry related. These include:
- Full-size pump testing — Measure and validate the hydraulic and mechanical performance of pumps.
- Contract slurry testing — Run customers’ specific slurry types through our piping systems (ranging from 75 to 500 millimeters in diameter) to help optimize, quantify, and validate slurry equipment performance for their unique applications.
- In-depth materials testing — Determine erosive and corrosive wear to develop new materials and parts.
- Training for supervisors and maintenance personnel — Educate those responsible for centrifugal slurry pump operation and upkeep.
All these learning opportunities are possible because of this unique facility. Without it, engineers and other pump personnel would likely have to traverse the globe to find the varied environments, applications, and slurry systems necessary to analyze their slurry transport complexities. Here, in GIW’s controlled environment, convenience and testing capabilities are unmatched.
Bettering the industry — and your business
From determining pipeline friction and solids deposition to maximizing part wear life and optimizing pump performance, the Hydraulic Lab exists to help customers improve their slurry transport systems and lower total cost of ownership. The lab isn’t about making money — it’s about bettering the industry and, more specifically, our customers’ businesses.
This outlook is unique: Seeing beyond our own bottom line is truly what sets us apart. We want to make a difference in our customers’ pumping capabilities and, in doing so, solidify our relationships with them as a long-term pump provider and service partner.
The Hydraulic Lab makes this relationship possible. Our customers and industry peers trust us to solve their real-world pumping problems, and we take that responsibility seriously. Together, we’ll always be at the cutting-edge of slurry transport technology!