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Framo pumps installed at Norwegian ocean research centre

Norwegian government agency Statsbygg has awarded Framo the development contract to supply pump systems for the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre, currently under construction in Trondheim.

The delivery includes 96 pumps that will pump huge amounts of water to create ocean currents in the research facility’s basin.

The system will be used by the Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU) and the SINTEF energy research institute to carry out the research, education and innovation that ocean industries require in order to succeed. 

The goal is to develop and test new technology related to the ocean, increase the safety and efficiency of existing technology, and strengthen Norway’s position as a leading ocean technology nation.

The basin at the research facility is 60 metres long, 50 metres wide, and 12 metres deep, making it possible to test innovations and large, complex structures under realistic conditions.

“This is the largest single installation we have ever delivered in terms of pump quantity,” said Terje Ljones, sales manager at Framo Aquaculture. “Our system will pump enormous amounts of water to simulate ocean currents together with realistic waves. The capacity is 225 cubic metres per second, equivalent to 810,000 cubic metres per hour. That’s approximately double the normal flow rate of the Nidelven River in Trondheim. That says something about the capacity.”

The energy-optimized pumps will be installed in return channels within the pool wall and will have individual speed control to provide great flexibility in varying the flow rate at different depths. The order also includes water straighteners in front and behind the pump, frequency converters, installation equipment, and a control system that will be integrated together with the plant’s main control system.

“This is the first contract for the new pump model SX1000, a permanent magnet motor-driven pump based on the pump systems we have designed and developed since 2018. The pumps have a proprietary motor and propeller blades,” said Ljones.