What Are The Types And Applications Of Vacuum Pumps?

In simple terms, a vacuum pump is equipment which creates a vacuum inside a sealed container. It is firstly used in the laboratory. Various types of this instrument came into existence with an exploration of different features associated with the analyzation of this technology. Innovative research in science and technology has included the process in specific industrial applications like automobiles, sewage systems, industrial and pharmaceutical processes etc. Another type of vacuum system is Festo Vacuum Generator.

Based on these techniques, they are divided as rotary vane, positive displacement, liquid ring,  molecular transfer and entrapment pumps.

The efficiency of a Vacuum pump is based on parameters like pumping speed and throughput, which is a volume flow rate input and throughput is the output at the outlet, which is increased with air pressure. The measurement factor for both is different. Some companies also measure the pump capacity in terms of suction capacity and ability to generate a vacuum in Hg.

The vacuum pump is the part of a vacuum that produces the actual volume (lack of air) from which the appliance gets its name. These pumps are also standalone home appliances performing the same function as a vacuum cleaner but at a large scale.

Types Of Vacuum Pumps

Vacuum pumps are devices that are used to remove molecules from a sealed volume, which in turn creates a partial vacuum. Festo Suction Cups can also be used in the required situations.

Positive Displacement Vacuum Pumps

These vacuum pumps work on a mechanism that expands a cavity, allowing the gases to flow in from an outside chamber. This cavity is then sealed off, and gas is released into the atmosphere. These pumps are best used to create low vacuums. A partial vacuum is generated by increasing the volume of the container. To continue evacuating a chamber without needing tremendous growth, a compartment of the vacuum can be closed off, exhausted, and expanded repeatedly again.

A positive displacement vacuum pump moves the exact volume of gas with each cycle; hence, its pumping speed is constant unless it can be overcome by backstreaming.

Some of the types of pumps that fall under this category are:

  • Rotary vane pump, the most common
  • Liquid ring high resistance to dust
  • Diaphragm pump, zero oil contamination
  • Piston pump, fluctuating vacuum
  • Wankel pump
  • Scroll pump, highest speed dry pump
  • Screw pump (10 Pa)
  • Roots blower, also known as a booster pump, has highest pumping speeds but low compression ratio
  • External vane pump
  • Lobe pump
  • Multistage Roots pump that combines various stages providing high pumping speed with a better compression ratio
  • Toepler pump

Momentum Transfer Vacuum Pumps

Also known as molecular pumps, momentum transfer vacuum pumps work by using high-speed jets of dense fluid to move gas molecules out of the chamber before sealing it off. These pumps are commonly used to attain high vacuums in which case they frequently work with various displacement pumps.

Entrapment Vacuum Pumps

These vacuum pumps capture gas molecules either in a solid state or in an absorbed state using cold temperatures. The pumps are mostly used in ultrahigh vacuums. Getters, cryopumps,

And ion pumps also fall under entrapment vacuum pumps.

Applications Of Vacuum Pumps

  • Vacuum pumps are used in medical applications of radiotherapy and radiosurgery. Also, many of the medical equipment work based on the principles of vacuum creation.
  • Aircraft uses gyroscope and various other instruments and pressure measuring devices.
  • Glass coating and decoration can be archived with this technique.
  • Freeze drying equipment uses the pumping and heating to carry out processes on food to maintain it for long.
  • With the admitting new technology, the scope of this technology has been increased a lot, and many of the instruments are using the whole or part of the system to execute the operations.

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