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Operations & Maintenance

Operating Cost Benefits of Oil-Free Vacuum – Part 1

Introduction Historically, mini-plants have utilized oil-sealed rotary vane vacuum pumps as a vacuum source because they provide relatively high flow rates and because they can reach relatively deep vacuum levels, such as 10-3 mbar. The same can be said of…

Dry, Chemical Resistant Vacuum for Process Development and Kilo Labs

VACUUBRAND's dry, chemical resistant pumps provide an ideal solution for use in process development, scale-up work, and kilo labs.  With no sealing fluid to replace, our dry pumps provide a low maintenance, low operating cost alternative to oil-sealed rotary vane…

Challenges of Handling Filamentous and Viscous Wastewater Sludge

Excessive growth of filaments and biopolymers in activated sludge should be controlled in CPI wastewater-treatment plants, as both lead to sludge that is hard to handle. The sticky behavior of such sludge can be minimized by the addition of polyaluminum…

Significance of Flash Fire Points

FLASH AND FIRE POINTS IN HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS Download as a PDF file FLASH POINT DEFINED A “flashpoint” is the temperature at which a fluid generates enough vapor to be ignited (“flash”). There are two common test methods: Open Cup (ASTM D92) and Closed…

Preventing Fires in Thermal Oil Heat Transfer Systems

PREVENTING FIRES IN THERMAL OIL HEAT TRANSFER SYSTEMS  PDF DOWNLOAD AT BOTTOM OF PAGE Thermal fluids have proven exceptionally safe in a wide range of industries. However, it is difficult to completely prevent fires in these systems because the necessary…

Diaphragm Vacuum Pumps in Process Operations

Vacuum is a very widely used utility in the process industries – from pharmaceutical and chemical to food and biotechnology. While some applications require fairly deep vacuum – so-called “fine” vacuum – many other operations rely on vacuum in the…

The Chemical Resistant of VACUUBRAND’s Pumps

For many people, one of the most important features to consider when sourcing a vacuum pump is the ability of that pump to hold up over the long term.  Pumps are exposed to a wide range of operating conditions that…

Cost Savings with Process Vacuum – Part 2

In light of the operational concerns reviewed in Part 1, this chemical recycling firm decided to evaluate different pump technologies.  Fortunately, recent advances in vacuum pump technology make dry-running pumps a viable option for many of those currently using liquid…

Field Troubleshooting 101 and How to Get the Job Done

A major part of field work lies in troubleshooting problems: finding out why a system is not operating the way it is intended. This article provides guidelines for effective troubleshooting and contains many practical examples of their successful use Effective…

Vortex Breakers in Practice

When vortex formation limits outflow from a tank, consider a disc-type vortex breaker Chemical engineers have long said that, while it is easy to get liquid into a tank, it can be difficult to get liquid out. Large line sizes…