An essential guide to pump commissioning: Part 1

After installation is complete, the pump is ready for commissioning. What is involved with this process and what is best practice?

Commissioning is critical to the long-term, successful operation of a pump set and its associated system. When done in a systematic and logical fashion as set out in this chapter, the pump system can expect a long trouble-free life.

This chapter is built around the commissioning of centrifugal pumps, most of which can be applied to positive displacement pumps. Any differences applying to positive displacement pumps are noted.

Preparation for commissioning

When commissioning a pump system, it is necessary to have the right people onsite. These should be:

Commissioning engineer

The commissioning engineer is in charge of the commissioning process and directs other personnel, keeps a record of commissioning, and liaises with the contractor or owner or both.

Pump fitter

Before starting the pump set, a pump fitter is required onsite to check the alignment, assist with the rotation check, check bearing lubrication, and fit gauges as required. When the pump is running, they may need to adjust pump packing and fix any leaks at the pump and pipes.

Electrician

If an electric drive pump set is being commissioned, the electrician is required to check, prior to start up, the electrical connections and adjust the connections should the pump rotation be wrong.

During the commissioning run, they check the amps and volts being drawn by the motor, which gives an indication of the power consumption of the pump set, and assist with any electrical problems as they arise.

Diesel fitter

The diesel fitter is needed for all the relevant pre-start engine checks, i.e. is the fuel tank full, oil supply correct, and are the air, oil and fuel filters clean?

During the commissioning run, the diesel fitter is required to ensure the engine runs at the correct speed and adjust as necessary. They also monitor the engine condition to ensure it runs at the right temperature with the coolant not overheating, and ensure that the lubricating oil pressure and temperature is steady and correct.

Commissioning tools

Apart from the normal fitter and electrician tools, it is recommended the commissioning engineer equips themself with the following:

• Mechanics stethoscope: This is used to listen for unusual bearing and pump noises allowing a clear diagnosis of any problems.
• Infrared temperature meter: To check bearing and driver temperatures during the commissioning run.
• Vibration meter: To monitor both pump and driver vibration levels to ensure they remain within acceptable levels during the commissioning run.
• Tachometer: To check pump operating speeds. This is particularly useful when the driver is an engine, or an electric pump is controlled by a variable speed drive.
• Multimeter: To check the electric motor amps and volts.

Commissioning documentation

The following documentation should be gathered and studied prior to the start of the commissioning process:

• Pump set instruction manual
• As-built pump data sheet
• Pump curve
• Motor data sheet

Commissioning process

Pre-start checks

This commonly begins with a “toolbox meeting” where commissioning personnel meet to clarify and discuss the procedures to be followed.

The following checks should be carried out before the pump set is started.

1. Remove coupling guard
2. Rotate the driver and pump shafts to ensure they turn freely
3. Uncouple the driver from the pump. Note: If the pump is a motor pump, steps 1, 2 and 3 are not required, however the pump should be bump started to check the rotation.
4. Check the driver rotation
5. Check for pipe strain by removing the pump flange bolts
6. Confirm the pump and driver are correctly aligned
7. Visually check system pipework to ensure correct installation
8. Recouple the pump and driver and refit the guard
9. Check that the pump and drive bearings have been correctly lubricated in accordance with the makers’ instructions. If not, lubricate
10. If the bearings are oil lubricated by oil rings in the bearing housing, check that the rings are set correctly in the housing
11. If bearings have oil level gauges on the bearing housing, check that the oil is at the correct level
12. If they are not already fitted, fit appropriate suction compound and discharge pressure gauges, if practical
13. If a flow measuring device is fitted, ensure that all the delivery from the pump goes to the device
14. If the pump set is electric drive, check insulation resistance and all electrical connections
15. Check that power is available to the system
16. Isolate all water supplies to other pumps and devices in the system such as jockey pumps
17. If the pump set is engine-driven, the following checks are required on the engine:

• • Check that there is sufficient fuel in the fuel tank
  • Check the fuel is not contaminated with water
  • Check all fuel valves are open
  • Check all the filters are installed and clean. These include air, fuel and oil filters
  • Check lubricating oil is clean and at the correct level
  • Check the batteries are fully charged, battery leads are in good condition, and the connections are tight
  • For water-cooled engines, check the cooling system is clear
  • For air-cooled engines, check air ducting is clear
  • Check the exhaust system is correctly fitted
  • Isolate the power supplies of any electric pump associated with the system and/or the battery charger related to the engine.

Pre-start procedure

Once the pre-start checks have been completed, the pump is ready to start. However, before the start button is pressed, the following actions are required:

1. Open the pump suction valve.
2. Prime the pump by filling the casing and suction pipe while venting the air from the pump and suction line. Note: for self-priming pumps, it is normally only necessary to fill the casing, as when started, the self-priming action of the pump will evacuate the suction line and fill with water. A short time for this to take place is required before the pump delivers full flow
3. If the pump has a packed gland, ensure that the gland bolts are finger tight
4. Close the pump discharge valve
5. The pump set is now ready to start.

Starting procedure

Now that the pump has been fully prepared for operation, the pump can now be started using the following procedure:

1. Crack the pump discharge valve before start so that it is open
2. Start the pump set
3. Slowly open the pump discharge valve observing: suction and discharge gauge pressure at valve shut, and suction and discharge gauge pressure at ¼, ½, ¾ and full open valve
4. The pump is now up and running with the discharge valve fully open. It should be running at its nominated duty point

For positive displacement pumps, these pumps need to be started with the discharge valve open due to the danger of over pressuring.

In addition to the starting procedure outlined above, the following also needs to be done for particular circumstances:

1. If the pump is engine-driven, check the engine speed at valve shut as this should not be more than 110 per cent of the nominated duty speed
2. If a pump set is engine-driven or controlled by a variable speed controller with discharge valve fully open, check the pump is running at the speed for its nominated duty
3. If the pump is normally started automatically, shut down the pump and restart in automatic to ensure it starts at the correct setting

The pump is now ready to run for the first time. The next parts of this series will discuss the actual commissioning process and its evaluation.

These insights are derived from the Australian Pump Technical Handbook. This feature originally appeared in the Summer 2025/26 edition of Pump Industry.