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Oil Free Vacuum Pumps

Oil free vacuum pumps for a wide range of industrial applications.

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What Is An Oil Free Vacuum Pump? 

Oil free vacuum pumps, also referred to as an oil less vacuum pump or dry running vacuum pump, are essentially a type of vacuum pump that operates without the use of oil as a lubricant or sealing agent in the compression chamber. Instead of oil, oil free pumps utilize alternative materials or mechanisms for lubrication and sealing such as specialized coatings, dry running mechanism, or water as a sealant. Oil free vacuum pumps are preferred technologies in applications where oil contamination is a concern, such as food processing or pharmaceuticals. Oil free vacuum pumps offer benefits such as reduced maintenance, minimized risk of contamination, and increased sustainability compared to oil-sealed vacuum pumps. 

Why should you consider using an oil-free vacuum pump?

Why should you consider using an oil-free vacuum pump?

A low energy solution

Oil-free vacuum technologies offer considerable savings in terms of overall energy efficiency. Oil-free vacuum pumps when combined with a VSD (variable speed drive) can reduce energy consumption by up to 50% in some applications compared to their oil lubricated equivalents. The Specific Energy Requirement or SER is the ratio of the power consumption (in watts) of the vacuum pump to the respective pumping speed (m3/h) in relation to the suction pressure (mbar abs.). Simply stated, how much energy is needed to move a certain amount of air from A to B. The compression principles of oil-free vacuum pumps can allow for a much reduced SER depending on the application requirements. Most oil-free technologies are compatible with a VSD to allow for greater process accuracy from the pump and therefore reduce energy consumption further.

 

A clean solution

If you have a process that requires stringent or lower level of contamination risk then oil free vacuum pump offer an efficient and assured solution. These vacuum pumps have been specifically developed to meet the needs of manufacturers that require only the highest air purity environments.

 

A low maintenance solution

If you’re looking to reduce maintenance costs an oil-free vacuum pumps would be the ideal solution. These pumps do not require the same level of maintenance as an oil-lubricated machine. There is no need to replace the oil and separator elements, which is regularly required and naturally results in higher operating costs over the pump’s lifetime.

 

A low downtime solution

Unlike there oil lubricated counterparts, oil-free vacuum pumps do not have to be removed to carry out essential maintenance servicing. This means there is little or no equipment downtime, as well as any indirect costs from lost production uptime.

 

An environmentally friendly solution

Oil-free vacuum pumps remove the cost of lubricants, waste oil disposal and labour. They also have the additional benefit of reducing oil consumption in our manufacturing processes, lessening the user's impact on the environment from production of oil and disposal of waste oil.

 

A lower total cost of ownership solution

All of the above benefits allow oil-free vacuum pumps to offer outstandingly low total cost of ownership (TCO) over the lifetime of the pump. Reduced service and maintenance costs, combined with energy savings will reduce operating costs per machine. Although the initial investment of an oil lubricated solution may look appealing, the lifetime costs far outweigh those of a dry running machine in the long-term.

What oil-free solution is right for your vacuum application?

What oil-free solution is right for your vacuum application?

Elmo Rietschle offers a range of oil-free vacuum pumps, each suited to the particular requirements of individual applications. For instance, the S-VSI dry-running screw vacuum pump for packaging under protective gas needs no coolant or sealing medium in the suction chamber. This particular pump is water-cooled and offers low heat emission into the environment.

Investing in oil-free technology will ensure the highest standards of air quality. This is a particularly key consideration within clean manufacturing environments such as food packaging, food processing, beverage, pharmaceuticals, laboratories and medical.

Speak to our vacuum experts about the right solution for your application.

Oil-Free vs Oil Lubricated Vacuum Pumps

Oil-Free vs Oil Lubricated Vacuum Pumps

The majority of vacuum pumps currently in use are oil-lubricated. With regular maintenance using genuine spare parts many applications will operate without any problems arising. Nevertheless, there is the potential risk of oil discharging from the exhaust of this type of pump, which presents a particularly significant problem in a food and beverage manufacturing plant.

In addition to oil discharge from the exhaust, there are a number of other issues that operators need to be aware of. Operating at high temperatures and an open-ended inlet port could result in oil carrying over from the pump. A separator element may also fail due to misuse or through the use of non-genuine spare parts. For this reason, it is important to work with a trusted and experienced maintenance partner, who can help and offer support should these matters arise.

Oil lubricated solutions are still essential for a variety of applications, but in energy and cost intensive applications a strong trend towards dry technology can be seen.