Vacuum Pumps

Department Editor: Kate Torzewski

acuum is any system of reduced pressure, relative to local (typically atmospheric) pressure. Achieved with a pump, vacuum systems are commonly used to:  Remove excess air and its constituents  Remove excess reactants or unwanted byproducts Reduce the boiling point Dry solute material  Create a pressure differential for initiating transport of material Liquid-ring and dry pumps offer the most advantages for the chemical process industries (CPI). Both of these pump types have bearings sealed off from the pumping chamber and do not require any internal lubrication because the rotors do not contact the housing. Both, when employing a coolant system, prevent the coolant from contacting the process fluid and causing contamination, and both use mechanical shaft seals for containment.

FIGURE 1. Liquid-Ring Pump

FIGURE 2. Rotary-Claw Pump

FIGURE 3. RotaryLobe Pump

Source: Kurt J. Lesker Co.

FIGURE 4. Rotary-Screw Pump

Source: Medical Gas Info 

Source: Gardner Denver Hanover, Inc.

Source: Kurt J. Lesker Co.

LIQUID-RING PUMPS
In the cylindrical body of the pump, a sealant fluid under centrifugal force forms a ring against the inside of the casing (Figure 1). The source of that force is a multi-bladed impeller whose shaft is mounted so as to be eccentric to the ring of liquid. Because of this eccentricity, the pockets bounded by adjacent impeller blades (also called buckets) and the ring increase in size on the inlet side of the pump, and the resulting suction continually draws gas out of the vessel being evacuated. As the blades rotate

toward the discharge side of the pump, the pockets decrease in size, and the evacuated gas is compressed, enabling its discharge. The ring of liquid not only acts as a seal; it also absorbs the heat of compression, friction and condensation. Popular liquid choices include water, ethylene glycol, mineral oil and organic solvents.

DRY PUMPS
Rotary-claw, rotary-lobe and rotary-screw pumps dominate as dry pumps in the CPI, particularly in larger-size pump applications. Rotary Claw. The geometric shape of this pump allows for a greater compression ratio to be taken across the rotors at higher pressures (Figure 2). Two claw rotors rotate in opposite directions of rotation without touching, using timing gears to synchronize the rotation.The gas enters through an inlet port after it has been uncovered and lls the

void space between the rotors and pump housing. On the next rotation, that same trapped sample of gas is compressed and discharged as the discharge port opens. A minimum of three stages in series is required to achieve pressures comparable to those of an oil-sealed mechanical pump. Some dry designs use two technologies in combination; for example, a rotarly lobe as a booster for a claw pump. Rotary Lobe. The rotary-lobe pump (Figure 3) is typically used as a mechanical booster operating in series with an oil-sealed piston or vane pump to boost pumping capacity at low pressures. This pump consists of two symmetrical two-lobe rotors mounted on separate shafts in parallel, which rotate in opposite directions to each other at high speeds.Timing gears are used to synchronize the rotation of the lobes to provide constant clearance between the two.

Rotary Screw. Two long helical rotors in parallel rotate in opposite directions without touching, synchronized by helical timing gears (Figure 4). Gas flow moves axially along the screw without any internal compression from suction to discharge. Pockets of gas are trapped within the convolutions of the rotors and the casing, and transported to the discharge. Compression occurs at the discharge port, where the trapped gas must be discharged against atmospheric pressure. Each convolution of the rotor acts similarly to a stage in series with the one behind it; at least three convoluted gas pockets in the rotor are required to achieve acceptable vacuum levels.

References

1.  Vilbert, P., Mechanical Pumps for Vacuum Processing, Chem. Eng. October 2004, pp. 4451. 2.  Aliasso, J., Choose the Right Vacuum Pump, Chem. Eng. March 1999, pp. 96100.

Advantages Liquid-Ring Vacuum Pumps  Simpler design; employs only one rotating assembly Can be fabricated from any castable metal  Minimal noise and vibration  Little increase in the temperature of the discharged gas  No damage from liquid or small particulates in the process fluid  Maintenance and rebuilding are simple  Slow rotational speed (1,800 rpm or less), maximizing operating life  Can use any type of liquid for the sealant fluid in situations where min gling with the process vapor is permissible  No lubricating liquid in the vacuum chamber to be contaminated  Accommodation of both condensable vapors and noncondensables, while operating as both a vacuum pump and condenser R  ugged rotor design, constructed of sturdy cast or ductile iron without any flimsy rotating components  Noncontact design facilitated by timing gears  High rotational speed reduces the ratio of gas slip to displacement, increases net pumping capacity and reduces ultimate pressure  Multiple staging provides inlet pressures below 1-mm Hg absolute while discharging to atmosphere  No contamination of evacuated gas  Due to lack of condensation, pump can be fabricated of standard, inexpensive cast iron

Disadvantages M  ixing of the evacuated gas with the sealing fluid R  isk of cavitation requires a portion of process load to be noncondensable under operating conditions H  igh power requirement to form and maintain the liquid ring, resulting in large motors  Achievable vacuum is limited by the vapor pressure of sealant fluid at the operating temperature P  ower consumption C  annot handle particulate matter, nor large slugs of liquid M  ay require a silencer M  ay discharge gases at high temperatures Most difficult to repair or rebuild M  ay require a gas purge for cooling, or to protect the bearings and seals from the process gas D  ue to high operating temperatures, some process gases may polymerize

Dry Vacuum Pumps