High Profit & Low Maintainance - 2 Key Benefits Of Dry Vacuum Pump

By Author: Dhruv Malhotra
Total Articles: 10
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1). What are the benefits of dry vacuum pumps?

Dry vacuum pumps are versatile. They can be used to accomplish almost any task. There are many options for dry vacuum pumps. Because I believe this is the best technology available, especially for large-scale industrial applications, I will be focusing on vacuum pumps with a screw mechanism.

A dry vacuum pump has a consistent performance advantage. Because you don't have any fluid to capture the vapors and vanes that may wear down, you have the same performance day one as day 100. Vapors usually pass straight through the vacuum pump as long as they remain in the vapor phase. An oil- or fluid-sealed vacuum pump tends to trap harmful gases and you will have to dispose of them in the waste. This can increase maintenance costs and pose a health risk for employees. The vacuum pump will exhaust any vapors that have made it past a trap or filter upstream to the vacuum pump.

The dry vacuum pump's simplicity is another advantage. The vacuum pump has only two rotating parts. This makes it easier to maintain and repair than other dry technologies. Because the ...
... screws are not contacting the sidewalls, vacuum performance won't be affected by their use. Oil-sealed vacuum pumps typically have a piston or vane that touches the sidewalls. This eventually wears down. This means that maintenance is required, which can lead to increased labor and parts costs.

Everest dry vacuum pumps have vibration levels that are lower than an oil-sealed piston-style vacuum pump. This is important for sensitive processes or instruments. Dry vacuum pumps can be used at pressures as low as atmosphere and as high below 1x10-2 Torr. This is in contrast to the industry standard, the liquid-ring vacuum pumps, which are limited to 25 Torr using water as a seal material.

2). Why would an engineer pay for a dry vacuum pump?

Although the fist cost price is slightly higher, it can be justified by lower maintenance, waste management and utility costs. Oil-sealed vacuum pumps require large quantities of oil to be disposed of. This is a significant expense compared to vacuum pumps that use 15 gallons of oil. Dry vacuum pump can have a slower rotation speed when they are not being used. The water used to cool it is essentially for utility savings. To save water, we also offer air-cooled dry screw vacuum pumps in various sizes. One example is a customer who wants lower utility bills. We did a cost analysis and found that they had a single-stage, efficient rotary vane vacuum pump, which was not in constant use. They needed it to be ready to go, so they left it running.

These vacuum pumps can be slowed down by a variable frequency driver (VFD). A wet vacuum pump could be slowed down to 40 Hz, compared to 60 Hz. Dry vacuum pumps can be slowed to one-third the speed of their initial speed. This saves energy and money.

This customer would save $20,000 annually by using our dry technology to slow down their vacuum pump package. This cost can be quickly offset if you add in multiple oil changes each year, waste disposal, and labor hours. It is possible to justify it depending on the application.

3). Why is a dry vacuum pump better than a wet one?

There are a variety of applications. The dry vacuum pumps are primarily used in the chemical industry for distillation, evaporation and degassing. They can also be used to freeze-dry, sublimation, and other processes. Dry vacuum pumps are ideal for those processes where you don't want oil to backstream (i.e. when oil from vacuum equipment travels against a process stream and contaminates it). This can be problematic, especially in the pharmaceutical and food industries.
It is also preferred in harsh processes. Acid vapor can build up in your oil, causing it to fail sooner if you are removing it from the process. The vapors from certain processes can cause oil to rubberize. To have an inert oil, you can use fully fluorinated oils, which are very expensive. This case is very cost-effective as you can make it up in a matter of minutes.

4). What are the most important factors when using a dry vacuum vacuum pump over a wet?

Startup and shutdown are two of the most important things for dry vacuum pumps. Although it is stated in most manuals that startup and shutdown are the same for wet vacuum pumps it is not often followed by people and is therefore less important. It is crucial for dry vacuum pumps. It is important to allow equipment to heat up to ensure that the screw mechanism's design tolerances are optimal. The vacuum pump will then be ready for use in about 10 minutes.

Even more important is the shutdown. It is important to follow the instructions in the manual for shutting down. This includes isolating and purging the vacuum pump with nitrogen. Drying the air for at least 20-30 minutes. Condensable vapour can build up inside vacuum pumps, causing metal materials to begin to erode. We offer protective coatings for our screws but proper shut down procedures are required.
We recommend that you also have a power loss mode. The vacuum pump can be protected by a normally closed inlet isolation and a normally opened purge valve below. Surprisingly, this equipment protection feature is not used by many plants.

Protect your investment with filters or traps placed in front of the dry vacuum pumps. Although they can tolerate liquids up to a liter, it is important that any technology has a knock-out container in case this becomes an issue. A vacuum pump can usually ingest about a liter of liquid without any problems, but it is not recommended to consume more than that. This is something that any vacuum pump will have trouble with. This allows us to inhale liquids, and then flush the vacuum pump to clean it. To ensure the best cleaning, slow down the vacuum pump with a VFD. Then draw in the solvent. This will allow you to get rid of all the glue and gummy material.

5). Do you have any other design considerations?

There is no difference between dry and wet vacuum pumps. Because conductance loss is a concern with bends and long pipes, you will want to remove as much pipework as possible. You should also ensure that your exhaust is clear and clean. Vacuum pumps don't like too much back pressure. It is recommended that you use check valves to prevent any contamination or reverse rotation from the exhaust pipework. This is especially important when multiple exhausts are connected together.
Dry vacuum pumps have a back pressure limit that can be exceeded. This will put undue strain on the motor, and cause elevated internal temperatures. This can lead to excessive metal expansion, and ultimately the seizure or destruction of the vacuum pump. Our design is more resilient than others. The industry average for continuous use is 2 psi. Ours is at 3. psi. This doesn't sound like a lot but it is. It is a good level to work with people who want to move their process towards an abatement system that can provide some backpressure.

6). Need help deciding which vacuum pump to buy?

There are so many applications. Talking to a vacuum expert is something I recommend. Everest Vacuum has a lot of experience. We've been doing this for over 15 years. We want to be part of the solution.
We also have an engineering team, so we can create a complete vacuum solution. Talk to the vacuum experts to hear their thoughts. We'll find a solution that works for you, and we will work closely with you to ensure you get the best option.

To connect with our vacuum specialist for a One to One discussion on how to evaluate the benefits of Dry Vacuum Pump in your environment.