Proper Handling of Vacuum Components

Industrial vacuum pumps make one of the greatest man’s inventions (invented in 1650), contributing immensely to the modernization of industrial processes in engineering, machinery, and equipment. But what is a vacuum pump? An industrial air pump machine creates a vacuum by sucking air and gas molecules from sealed compartments or containers. Besides manufacturing and engineering, various industries use these machines to transport liquids, just like conventional pumps. There are multiple types of industrial suction pumps, either oil-lubricated (wet pumps) or oil-less (dry pumps). The classification refers to whether the gas comes into contact with a lubricant during compression.

High purity companies such as pharmaceuticals and medical laboratories prefer dry pumps because they lower the contamination risk. On the other hand, wet pumps are a go-to option if you want to achieve adequate sealing and lubrication properties. Prevalent industrial suction pumps, each suited for different applications, include rotary vane, side channel, liquid ring, piston, and displacement pumps. However, just like other machines, the efficiency of industrial suction pumps decreases as the machines wear and tear. You would want to implement best practices and proper handling to maximize your investment and achieve consistently high-quality results. Regardless of your industry, you can handle your vacuum pump components in the following best ways:

1. Schedule Regular Maintenance of Pump Components

The efficiency of any industrial suction machine relies on the pumping system. How do you schedule regular maintenance to ensure that the pumping system operates at its peak? You would want to install a running hour meter to record the operation hours between services and inspections. As for oil-sealed suction pumps, it will help if you employ a daily maintenance routine to check the levels of oil and ballasting. You’ll need to change the oil if the pump doesn’t pull down to the rated micron rating or during routine maintenance.

However, the most prevalent hitch a suction pump may experience is oil contamination caused by condensate buildup. To prevent moisture buildup, install a gas ballast valve to admit nitrogen gas into the pumping system. However, this will decrease comprehension and the system’s efficiency in exhausting gases.

2. Set the Right Vacuum Level When Working

Before worrying about handling the components, you would want to ask yourself whether that suction pump level is what your application requires. Remember, fluctuating vacuum levels (whether too high or too low) can vaporize constituent elements or oxidize the surfaces, causing expensive rework. How do you categorize the needs of your ideal vacuum level? First, you’ll need to isolate the processes that can run without a suction pump and the ones that run better with a pump from an economic point of view. Also, you’ll identify the processes that run efficiently with the suction pump from a metallurgical standpoint or surface finish perspective. Once you define these processes, you’ll find the right pump level that attracts hassle-free maintenance with minimal handling or servicing.

3. Maintain the O-Ring Seals

O-rings are among the integral parts that keep your vacuum system running efficiently. Even though most pumps come with high-quality O-rings, these components wear over time and may lose their elastic properties or even crack. Factors affecting the longevity of your O-rings include pressure and thermally-induced stress. The O-rings can fail in several categories, including abrasion, flattening, and degradation. The O-rings may also experience a short-lived lifespan if the technician installed them poorly.

You would want to replace your system’s O-rings before they eventually crack to cause leaking or contamination. However, kindly note that it is critical to replace the O-rings with the correct type, usually recommended by the original equipment manufacturer. You can shop from authorized suppliers such as High Vac Depot.

4. Avoid Eutectic Melting

Your industrial suction pump will experience eutectic melting if two elements with certain chemical compositions melt at lower temperatures (eutectic temperature) than the element constituents. For instance, carbon and nickel may react at a eutectic point, with temperatures as low as 2421°F. You’ll find nickel elements in many suction pumps that feature stainless steel construction material. Since severe eutectic melting can result in extensive workload damage, how do you prevent it? It will help if you protect the components of your suction pump with non-reactive insulators, such as high-purity ceramics.

The prevalent types of high-purity ceramics include zirconium oxide or aluminum oxide and often come in plates, papers, or cloth blankets.

5. Avoid Diffusion Bonding

Lastly, you would want to prevent diffusion bonding, especially if it isn’t part of your manufacturing process. Intentional, industrial applications of diffusion bonding include compacting hot sulfides, oxides, carbides, and borides. In that case, it will help if all the components are clean and the application is in an inert atmosphere. Moreover, you’ll need to apply force and temperature unilaterally to hold the parts together.

However, if you don’t intend to join components, diffusion bonding can pose a significant problem. Typically, metal surfaces in the air vacuuming process are clean and free of oxides. When these metals come into contact in these near-perfect conditions, they tend to stick through interstitial diffusion. In minor cases, you can separate the components by tapping. However, if they fuse strongly, you may need to tear them apart, which can cause irreversible damages.

So, how do you prevent unintentional diffusion bonding? It will help if you use metals that come with oxide layers on their surfaces. However, some metals and alloys come with less stable oxide films that melt or decompose in extreme temperatures. Sometimes, the oxide film can also dissolve in the bulk of the metal. Such metals include steel, copper, columbium, tantalum, and titanium. Instead, you would want to use chemically stable oxide films such as aluminum alloy to lower the chances of unintentional diffusion bonding.

Wrapping It Up

Generally, every industry needs proper education on the appropriate handling of their vacuum system components, including the suitable additives that can prolong the lifespan of these parts. We hope that you got more practical information about enhancing the performance of the suction pump system. Don’t forget to document the maintenance servicing for grids and fixtures, including recording the history of duty cycles. Most importantly, buy the original replacement parts as recommended by the manufacturer. You can ship these components from authorized suppliers such as High Vac Depot.