The paper presented work carried out at Sulzer Pumps on the development of numerical methods to predict cavitation development, its effect on erosion life within centrifugal pump impellers and validation against existing practice.

The ability to predict impeller life under various operating conditions has become a key element in the development of high energy centrifugal pumps for use in the Oil & Gas and Power Generation markets. As a leading player in both segments, Sulzer Pumps commits significant R&D resources to this critical aspect of pump design.