Sundyne, Arvada: compressor and pump witness inspection

Sundyne's Arvada plant builds and tests integrally geared centrifugal compressors and high-speed pumps for oil and gas, petrochemical and LNG projects worldwide. It is one of the vendor shops we attend most often: the plant is a short drive from our Boulder base, so we can cover multi-day test campaigns, rescheduled test dates and same-day call-outs without travel cost or delay for the client.

Request an inspector at Sundyne See the scope

Compressor test bay at Sundyne, Arvada, with large-bore test loop piping, overhead cranes and a centrifugal compressor package on the test bed — Compressor test bay at Sundyne, Arvada: test loop piping and the compressor package on the test bed during the October 2026 performance test.

Vendor: Sundyne, 14845 West 64th Avenue, Arvada, CO
Equipment: Integrally geared centrifugal compressors and pumps (API 617 / API 610)
Latest campaign: Oct 2026: five site days by 28 Oct, campaign continuing
Deliverables: Daily flash reports with photos, inspection report

Latest campaign: four-stage compressor performance test

In October 2026 we were the third-party witness inspector for the shop performance test of a four-stage integrally geared vapour recovery compressor, built to API 617 for an offshore oil and gas project. The machine has two high-speed pinions, each carrying two impellers, so the test bench runs it in two set-ups: stages 1 and 2, then stages 3 and 4.

The performance test is an ASME PTC 10 Type 2 test on substitute gas. We witnessed stages 1 and 2 on CO2 at two speeds, and again on nitrogen at the minimum operating speed case, each run with five flow points from surge to stonewall and repeated readings at every point. The campaign ran over repeated site days as the vendor's schedule moved, which a local inspector can absorb without re-mobilisation.

How the site visits ran

Test procedure, ITP revision and NOI scope confirmed with the agency and the vendor before the first visit.
Daily site attendance with in and out times recorded for the client.
Instrument calibrations, test gas and test case checked before each run.
Each flow point witnessed, readings recorded and compared with the procedure's acceptance criteria.
Flash report with photographs to the agency the same day; open questions sent to the vendor in writing.

What we cover at Sundyne

Performance tests of compressors to API 617 and ASME PTC 10 (Type 2) on CO2, nitrogen or other substitute gases, and of pumps to API 610
Mechanical running and unbalanced rotor response tests: vibration, shaft displacement, bearing temperatures, lube oil system
Test procedure (FTP) and similitude review against the approved revision and datasheet cases
Instrumentation checks: orifice plates, transmitters and speed pickups with calibration certificates
Dimensional and in-process checks of impellers, seal housings and gearbox components when the ITP calls for them
Final inspection, document review and reporting in the client's or agency's format

From the test bay

Photographs from our site visits during the October 2026 performance test campaign.

Integrally geared centrifugal compressor on the test bed, connected to test loop piping and instrumentation cabling — Integrally geared compressor on the test bed, connected to the test loop and instrumentation.

Test stand drive train with shop motor, gear unit and orange coupling guards beside the test loop piping — Test stand drive train: shop motor, gear unit and coupling guards.

Wide view of the compressor test bay showing test loop piping on pipe stands under overhead cranes — Test loop piping on pipe stands, set up for the closed-loop substitute gas test.

Why clients use a local inspector at Sundyne

Schedules move

Compressor test campaigns run for days and dates shift with internal tests and set-up changes. A local inspector attends the new date without new flights or hotel nights.

Repeated site access

We already know the site's access and safety routine, the test bay and the vendor's test team, so time on site goes to the test, not to induction.

Same-day reporting

Flash report with photographs to the agency or client the same day, so decisions on hold points do not wait for the next morning in another time zone.

Compressor expertise

PTC 10 Type 2 tests, similitude, test gas changes and API 617 tolerances are what we check every run, not a checklist read for the first time.

Need an inspector at Sundyne or another Denver-area shop?

We attend Sundyne in Arvada and other compressor, pump and packaging shops along the Front Range for owners, EPC contractors and inspection agencies: performance and mechanical running tests, hydrotests, in-process inspection and final inspection before shipment.

Standards and references used

API 617 and API 610
ASME PTC 10 (Type 2 test on substitute gas)
Approved vendor test procedure and similitude calculation
Client ITP and Notification of Inspection (NOI)
Agency flash report and inspection report formats

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Witness test coming up at Sundyne?

Send the NOI, ITP and test procedure. We confirm availability within 24 hours and can attend Arvada on short notice, including rescheduled test dates.

Request an inspector Call +1 646-706-3785 WhatsApp Email vlad@coriolis-calibration.com