WHAT DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING VACUUM PUMPS?

Anyone without a deep understanding or knowledge of pumps might think that vacuum generation is just an issue of “plugging during a pump”, starting it up and expecting the vacuum to drop to the required level. But the truth is that there's much more to the method .

Vacuum pumps are wont to remove air or gas molecules from a sealed volume thus creating a vacuum. The vacuum level are often controlled, for instance , with a process gas at a selected pressure. Finding the proper air pump not only requires an honest understanding of the required vacuum level and application – it also requires an understanding of process conditions, the operating range and the benefits and limitations of every specific air pump type.

In this blog, we’ll briefly outline the four factors to believe when choosing between differing kinds of vacuum pumps. It is also important to think about whether it's mainly about pumping right down to the specified pressure or – for instance – holding a selected pressure while certain gas loads are introduced to the vacuum system (e.g. for process reasons). While some vacuum pumps are optimized for pump-down processes (but might struggle with high process gas loads), others are more capable of handling high gas loads.

Depending on the target vacuum level, a mixture of various air pump technologies could be necessary. Primary vacuum pumps, i.e. those operating within the rough and medium vacuum ranges, exhaust to the atmosphere and may operate in isolation. High and ultra-high vacuum pumps, like turbopumps and diffusion pumps, got to exhaust to or operate with a primary pump to make A level of vacuum they will work from. Ion, non-evaporable getter (NEG) and cryopumps need initial evacuation then occasional primary pump support.

Dependent upon the appliance area and medium to be pumped, the selection of pump(s) will vary. For example, rotary vane (RV) pumps are fitted to a good range of low and medium vacuum applications, including research and development, analytical instruments, industrial and coating activities, freeze drying, process engineering and many more. The use of oil as a sealant and coolant allows for excellent pumping performance and suitability for several applications, including where dirt, dust or condensates could be present.

Scroll pumps, on the other hand, provide hydrocarbon-free vacuum by compressing gases using two tip-sealed spirals rotating eccentrically against each other . This results in low operation and maintenance costs. Compared to RV pumps, scroll pumps applications are mainly limited to processes, without dust or dirt which could damage the tip seals during a brief period of some time .