Liquid Ring Vacuum Technology

for the Chemical Industry

1-800-USA-PUMP I [email protected] I www.buschusa.com

Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps –
Classic Vacuum Technology and Yet Still State-of-the-Art

Vacuum technology has never stopped developing Operating principle

As an operating fluid, liquid ring vacuum pumps use water or a liquid
– not only in the recent past, but for decades it
compatible with the gas or vapor to be evacuated. Ethylene glycol,
has continued to progress. Today, dry screw mineral oils or organic solvents are also used, as are other liquids that
vacuum pumps are used in chemical processing are already part of the process. The basic principle is the same in all
technology and many other applications just as sizes and versions.

dry claw vacuum pumps have established

An eccentrically mounted impeller rotates within a cylindrical housing
themselves as standard vacuum generators in (figure 2). This housing is filled with operating fluid to the extent that
entire branches of industry. the vanes of the impeller are immersed in the fluid. The rotary motion
of the impeller and the resulting centrifugal force cause the liquid in
Oil-lubricated rotary vane vacuum pumps are also state-of-the-art in the housing to form the so-called liquid ring. The gas is pumped in
many applications, not least due to their ongoing development. In the spaces between the individual vanes and the liquid ring. Thanks to
their fields of application, they are generally the most used vacuum the eccentric arrangement of the impeller, the volumes of these
pumps. However, despite many improvements, new developments spaces change with the result that gas is sucked in, compressed and
and further advancements, one principle of vacuum generation that discharged again. The liquid ring seals the individual spaces down to
has remained to this day in certain applications, and is still successfully the cylinder. Therefore, it is sometimes referred to as the sealing fluid
applied, is the liquid ring vacuum pump. instead of the operating fluid.

The principle behind the liquid ring vacuum pump was already Mechanism
developed in 1890 as a “water ring pump”. Due to their simple and Due to the operating fluid used, this mechanism can only be used in
robust construction, liquid ring vacuum pumps (figure 1) are suitable the rough vacuum range. The reason for this is that the achievable
for vacuum generation in applications in which damp gases or vapors vacuum level depends on the vapor pressure of the operating fluid,
are evacuated or those in which condensation inside the vacuum which is constantly pumped through the vacuum pump. This allows a
pump tends to take place during the compression process. They are liquid ring vacuum pump to be operated at relatively low
therefore ideally suited to humid processes and are thus used for low temperatures, and in addition, the temperature rise of the medium is
vacuum generation in process technology, the chemical industry, kept to a minimum during the compression process. Therefore, liquid
during petroleum production and plastics processing in applications ring vacuum pumps are ideally suited for pumping vapors and gases
such as distillation, drying, filtration, reaction, de-gassing etc. with a high moisture content. The low temperatures in the vacuum
pump are favorable for condensation of process vapors. To an extent,
this means that the vacuum pump additionally functions as a
condenser and because condensation takes place when the mixture
enters the vacuum pump, the volume is drastically reduced. In
addition to the condensation effect, this also achieves an increase in
the nominal pumping speed.

The operating fluid absorbs the heat of compression and as liquid ring
vacuum pumps are virtually isothermal, they offer advantages when
pumping temperature sensitive products, such as polymers.
Figure 1: Two versions of Dolphin liquid
ring vacuum pumps that are available
with pumping speeds from 18 to 6415 One significant advantage of liquid ring vacuum pumps is that the
ACFM operating fluid and the materials used for the components can be
adapted to fit the pumping medium. This also makes it possible to
pump corrosive or explosive gases and vapors. Due to the low
operating temperatures, pumping explosive materials can, in any case,
be considered much less problematic than with other mechanical
vacuum pumps.
Figure 2: Cross-sectional view of a
Dolphin liquid ring vacuum pump
compression chamber

Busch LLC
516 Viking Drive | Virginia Beach, VA 23452 | Tel. 1-800-USA-PUMP | [email protected] | www.buschusa.com

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Construction
Basic differentiation is made between single- and two-stage liquid
ring vacuum pumps. In the single-stage version, the compression
process described above is performed in one compression stage. In
the two-stage vacuum pump (figure 3), the pre-compressed pumping
medium from the first stage is conveyed to a second compression
stage and compressed again. Ultimate pressures of 100 Torr can be
realized with single-stage liquid ring vacuum pump versions, while
two-stage versions can achieve up to 25 Torr. Figure 4: Dolphin liquid ring vacuum pump
with an open operating fluid circuit

Even the sizes vary significantly. Busch Vacuum Pumps and Systems
has different series and versions of Dolphin liquid ring vacuum pumps
in its portfolio, with pumping speeds that cover the range from 18 to
6415 ACFM.
Variants
Supply and removal of operating fluid can happen in three ways:

1. Non-recirculating operation – once through operation This is the

simplest variant for operating a liquid ring vacuum pump and is used
any time there is sufficient operating fluid available. The compression
Figure 5: Dolphin liquid ring vacuum pump
stage is constantly supplied with operating fluid. The fluid is then with a closed operating fluid circuit
discharged together with the gas and the condensate.

2. Open fluid circuit – partial recirculation operation In an open circuit Tailored vacuum systems
(figure 4), the operating fluid is diverted into a liquid separator Liquid ring vacuum pumps are exceptionally well suited for use as
together with the gas after it exits the vacuum pump. Liquid and gas modules in vacuum systems and installations. Lower ultimate
are separated there. The gas is discharged or transferred while the pressures can be realized in combination with gas, air or steam
operating liquid flows back to the pump. Additional fresh operating ejectors (jets) or Roots type vacuum boosters. Technically and
fluid is supplied through the liquid separator in the circuit. This economically optimum solutions can be found for vacuum systems
guarantees that there is enough liquid in the circuit and that the that are directly tailored to the individual application. Busch Vacuum
temperature does not rise. This type of open circuit can save up to 50 Pumps and Systems has decades of experience in designing,
percent of the fluid when compared to non-recirculating operation. configuring and building these types of systems, which are used in
economical and safe operation worldwide in chemical processing
3. Closed fluid circuit – total recirculation operation There is also a technology, petroleum production and processing, power generation
liquid separator downstream from the pump in a closed circuit (figure and many other areas. The individual Dolphin liquid ring vacuum
5). Gas is discharged from the separator, while the operating fluid is pump sizes from Busch are available in different ATEX-certified
diverted using a heat exchanger before it enters the vacuum pump versions.
again. The operating fluid is thus maintained at a constant
temperature. This means that only small amounts of fresh fluid need
to be added via the liquid separator. We therefore recommend the
closed circuit any time that sufficient operating fluid is not available or
when as much operating fluid as possible should be conserved.

Figure 3: Two-stage liquid ring vacuum

pump operating principle

Busch LLC
516 Viking Drive | Virginia Beach, VA 23452 | Tel. 1-800-USA-PUMP | [email protected] | www.buschusa.com

Argentina Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Canada Chile China Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Hungary India Ireland Israel Italy Japan Korea Malaysia
Mexico New Zealand Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Singapore South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey United Arab Emirates United Kingdom USA