In April 2010, KSB inaugurated the newly built production facility for large power station pumps located in Frankenthal, Germany.

Power station pumps with a drive rating of up to 50 megawatts in particular have been produced here by the German pumps and valves manufacturer since the beginning of 2009. These pump sets are employed in the modern high-efficiency power stations currently being planned and built all over the world. With the new production facility KSB Frankenthal continues to expand its leading role in this market.

The first performance test on the large pumps test bed, which is incorporated in the production facility, took place as early as end of 2009. Every pump set’s performance and efficiency are tested here prior to delivery. The Frankenthal test facility is one of the world s most powerful installations for power station pumps. It features a drive rating of 20 megawatts which can be extended to 40 megawatts. Here it is possible for the Frankenthal pump manufacturer to carry out tests with pressures of up to 500 bar and process temperatures of up to 220°C. Up to 3,500 cubic metres of water can be handled per hour during these performance tests.

The new building at the Frankenthal premises is part of an overall investment amounting to around 70 million euros implemented by KSB within the past three years at three of its biggest German production sites. 40 million euros have been invested in the new production facility which covers an area of almost 11,000 square metres.

Picture: Commissioning of one of the world’s most powerful test facilities for power station pumps. (Image: KSB)