Around the globe, Toyota are well known for being at the forefront of process innovation; setting high standards with a high level of attention to detail. Their newest production facility in the township of Caleras de Amexhe in Guanajuato, México is no exception to this rule. We're proud to say that the AuCom CSXi has passed the Toyota test, with multiple CSXi units already installed at the new facility that is expected to begin full-time production by the end of 2019.

Each vehicle manufactured by Toyota must go through multiple tests before going to the market. One of the most common tests consists of a water shower applied to the outside of the vehicle to verify that there is no ingress of water into the vehicle.

To perform this test, the vehicle is placed in a shower test room which sprays water at constant pressure through a hydraulic spray system divided into three sections: lateral (both sides), upper and lower (as shown in figure 1). Each section has an independent water distribution system, so it is necessary to implement a pumping system for each section.

Water hammer has the potential to cause significant damage to pumping systems. Most in the pumping industry have a tale to tell about burst or collapsed pipes, or broken or damaged valves, pressure gauges and even pumps.

Solving the water hammer problem requires either mitigating its effects or preventing its occurrence altogether. To this end, there are a number of solutions to consider when designing a pumping system, including electronic motor control.

Electronic motor control devices such as soft starters and variable frequency drives can be used to control the speed of the pump during starting and stopping. This allows for a more gradual increase or decrease in pump speed, preventing water column separation, flow reversal and sudden check valve closure – a few of the primary causes of water hammer.