Few other people’s vacuum pump failures? That’s because I know the seven golden rules!

The reason why there are few failures of vacuum pumps in other people’s homes is that they have worked hard to find out which aspects you haven’t done well.

Vacuum pump is the main force of many science and technology, providing the necessary conditions for running many laboratory application equipment. Unfortunately, if the pump is exposed to acid or organic chemical vapor for a long time, it may cause some practical maintenance problems. Especially for oil sealed rotary vane pumps, the oil exposed to chemical vapor will cause deterioration or decomposition of the oil, which will affect the function of the vacuum pump oil mist separator.

Many applications require a high vacuum degree, which requires oil sealed rotary vane pump drive. For these applications (the most common are freeze-drying machines, molecular distillation, etc.), oil sealed pumps may be your only choice. These pumps with high vacuum degree are inevitably equipped with vacuum pump oil mist separator.

Share with you the golden rule of 7 vacuum pump maintenance, so that your pump can be used for several years.

Rule 1: Read the instruction manual carefully.

After purchasing the pump, it is necessary to carefully read the manual, check the operation precautions, and select the appropriate vacuum pump oil according to the recommendations in the manual, and select the vacuum pump oil smoke filter according to the pump model. The manual generally recommends the time for changing the oil.

Rule 2: Warm up the pump.

Run the pump for 20-30 minutes before connecting to the vacuum system. Consider installing a manual valve to make the preheating process easier.

Rule 3: Do not block the pump outlet.

The pump outlet is blocked, which will cause the pump to stop. In the worst case, overpressure in the pump may loosen the seals around the oil sight glass, causing it to leak and require repair. Install the vacuum pump oil mist separator to make the air outlet more smooth.

Rule 4: Use an inlet cold trap to protect the pump from corrosive steam.

The cold trap at the inlet can not only protect the pump from corrosive steam, but also reduce the steam load on the pump, so it can operate more effectively. Ensure that the solvent temperature is low enough, for example, using liquid nitrogen (for highly volatile solvents).

Rule 5: When dealing with condensable steam, please use gas ballast.

The air ballast on the vacuum pump uses air to push the condensate to the outlet through the pump. For applications with high steam load and corrosive gas, the mixing pump (rotary vane/diaphragm pump combination) will keep the oil storage tank in a vacuum state and continuously distill steam and corrosive gas from the pump oil, thus reducing corrosion and greatly extending the oil change period, as well as the replacement period of the oil mist separator of the vacuum pump.

Rule 6: Use an intake filter to protect the pump from particulate contamination

Use the air inlet filter to remove abrasive particles from the pump oil and rotating equipment. Reduce the pollution of impurities to the pump oil, and cooperate with the vacuum pump oil smoke filter to effectively improve the performance of the vacuum pump.

Rule 7: Run the pump after use to remove solvent from the oil.

After the operation, it is necessary to open the gas ballast, close the gas inlet and let the pump run for several minutes. By operating the pump close to the limit vacuum level but with good air circulation, many solvents dissolved in the oil can be removed, thus reducing internal corrosion during shutdown.

Do you remember the above seven golden rules? The “three filters” vacuum pump oil mist separator, air filter and oil filter of oil sealed vacuum pump will greatly help the service life of the pump.

Mastering and applying these seven principles, your equipment operation can also become someone else’s home.