Fun Fact: What’s the Largest Pump in the World?

January 11, 2019

The world’s smallest pumps are barely visible to the naked eye. They feature nanotechnology and can be used in the body to pump medication. That’s pretty impressive, but maybe not as remarkable as seeing the world’s largest pump. Considering its size, the completion of this water pump installation in Columbia, TN would be quite the feat.

Just how big is this record-breaker? Here’s a bit of trivia about the world’s most powerful water pump.

Capacity

The Pentair Fairbanks Nijhuis HP1-4000.340 has a capacity of 60 m3/second (60,000 liters/second). To crank this much water per second, it offers a horsepower of 5,364.

To gain a better understanding of the speed and ability of this pump, consider how fast it can fill the following locations and landmarks:

  • Equator: If you were to wrap a garden hose around the Earth’s equator, it would take this pump just 1 minute and 25 seconds to fill it with water. (Who would do this with a garden hose and how they would accomplish it is another matter!)
  • Empire State Building: New Yorkers might not be too happy about it, but if you wanted to fill the Empire State Building with water to create a very interesting pool party, you could be ready to make a splash in just under five hours.
  • Great Pyramid at Giza: Want to move your pool party to Egypt? The world’s most powerful pump could fill this landmark with water in 11 hours and 57 minutes.
  • Grand Canyon: The pump seems less impressive when we consider the Grand Canyon. To fill up this national treasure would take over 2,000 years. But considering the canyon’s volume is over 5 trillion cubic yards, that’s understandable. Besides, who would want to fill it up with water anyway?
  • Swimming pool: How about your run-of-the-mill swimming pool? That seems a more likely use for a pump than flooding tourist sites. Your large backyard pool could be filled in just 1.5 seconds. An Olympic-sized pool could be filled in less than a minute. The world’s largest pool, located in Chile, could be filled by the world’s most powerful pump in a little over an hour.

Location

You might be wondering where anyone would need such a powerful pump. There are certainly few uses for such a grand water pump installation in Columbia, TN. However, about one third of the Netherlands is below sea level. In fact, the country’s lowest point is over 20 feet below sea level. With this in mind, it makes sense that the Netherlands is the location of this mega pump.

The water pump was built for a pumping station there to create the largest pumping station in Europe. It was designed to prevent flooding that was causing ongoing problems in the western part of the Netherlands.

Find Out More

Want to learn more trivia from your experts in water pump installation in Columbia, TN? You never know what fun facts you’ll find when you speak to the staff at Action Electric Motor & Pump Repair. Our locally owned and family operated company is dedicated to delivering exceptional service and quality workmanship, as well as a bit of trivia to expand your knowledge of the industry. Contact us today!

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