A TERM PAPER ON VACUUM PUMP, GENERATOR

AND EJECTORS

BY

EKONG JOHN JOHN (22AH/0040/EE)

THEDDEUS CHIEMEWOYA REDEEMER (22AH/0011/EE)

SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL

ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE
COURSE PNEUMATIC CONTROL SYSTEM

LECTURER : ENGR. LINUS IMOMO

APRIL, 2024

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 ABSTRACT

Pneumatic control is an automated system that uses compressed air or other gases
to drive a wide variety of mechanical devices. Vacuum pumps are grouped under
Displacement Pumps and Entrainment Pumps to clarify the operating mode of
each type. A vacuum generator is a single stage venturi that creates high vacuum
with fast response using compressed air. The choice of Generator Series depends
on the system requirements for components and overall performance for the
application. Products with low or no leakage are called Non-Porous Applications.
It can be assumed that the maximum degree of vacuum of the system is the
maximum degree of the vacuum generator. A vacuum ejector or simply ejector is a
type of vacuum pump, which produces vacuum by means of the Venturi effect. In
an ejector, a working fluid (liquid or gaseous) flows through a jet nozzle into a
tube that first narrows and then expands in cross-sectional area.

TABLE OF CONTENT

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Title page………………………………………………………………………………………….1
Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………2
Table of content…………………………………………………………………………………...3
Introduction…………………………………………………………………….. ………………...4
Vaccum pumps…………………………………………………………………………………….4
Displacement pumps oil sealed rotary types………………………………………………………5
Entrainment pumps cryogenic pumps……………………………………………………………. 5
Ionization pumps …………………………………………………………………………………5
Titanium sublimation pump……………………………………………………………………….6
Sorption pump …………………………………………………………………………………….8
Vaccum generators………………………………………………………………………………...9
Applying the venturi generator………………………………………………………………….10
Selecting a generator size……………………………………………………………………….10
Venturi generator with power loss circuits ……………………………………………………...10
Vaccum ejectors………………………………………………………………………………...11
Types of ejectors ………………………………………………………………………………...11
Water aspirator………………………………………………………………………………...…12
Steam ejector…………………………………………………………………………………….13
Air ejector………………………………………………………………………………………..14
References………………………………………………………………………………………. 15

INTRODUCTION
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Pneumatic control is an automated system that uses compressed air or other gases to drive a wide
variety of mechanical devices. It is widely used in industrial and commercial applications,
particularly in the areas of manufacturing, construction, and transportation. Pneumatics makes
use of an air compressor to reduce the volume of the air in order to increase its pressure . This
then moves through a filter into pneumatic tubing, where it's controlled by valves before
reaching an actuator which does the work at the end of the process.

VACCUM PUMPS

Vacuum pumps are grouped under Displacement Pumps and Entrainment Pumps to clarify
the operating mode of each type. The former can run continuously as they compress the pumped
gas and discharge it to atmosphere or to a backing pump. The latter traps and holds the pumped
gas within the structure and therefore requires occasional regeneration or replacement of the gas
trapping elements.

Displacement Pumps Oil Sealed Rotary Types (Fig. 1 & 2) Vane and rotary piston sealed
vacuum pumps are the most commonly used. Most pumps provide nearly constant throughput
within their operating range.

Advantages include simplicity, reliability, and economy. Oil vapor discharge out the vent,
'particularly at high pressure and oil vapor back streaming can be problems. Special
configurations of this type of pump are available for corrosive gas pumping, high water vapor
loads and operation at continuously high inlet reassures which will overload the common oil
sealed pump designed to blank off in lo-! Pascal range or below.

Roots Blowers (Fig. 5) Lobe type blowers (Roots) are useful as mechanical boosters when
backed by an oil sealed pump. The blower is bypassed until a pressure between 3 and 50 Pascal
(depending on design) is reached at which time the blower becomes a booster. Single stage units
have good throughput to 100 Pascal range and blank-off in the low 0.1 range. Staging can
produce lower pressures. Lubrication is external to the vacuum pumping portion of the pump so
that the Roots blower is not a source of back streaming . Roots blowers provide the increased
pumping speed often required in the 1 to 40 Pascal range. They are a rugged, simple machine,
reasonably resistant to dust and moisture.

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Backstreaming contamination is not usually a problem but can be if the oil sealed backing pump
and the Roots blower are allowed to reach the molecular flow pressure range and the blower
lobes become coated with oil from the backing pump. a dry gas to maintain viscous flow
pressure level in the backing pump or by limiting the pressure by other means.

Turbomolecular Pumps (Fig. 6): This type of vacuum pump is also a booster pump requiring a
backing pump. Modern design permits this pump to be mounted with the inlet downward which
reduces the chance of particulate matter entering and damaging the high speed turbine blades.
Another advantage of the turbo pump is that overloading (high pressure suction) simply slows
the pump; Roots pumps overheat and diffusion pumps backstream excessively if overloaded in
this way. Backstreaming possibility from this type of pump is very remote; contaminant Normal
maintenance involves relubrication of the bearings after the available sizes of this type of pump
are limited so that they are not suitable for large vacuum system gas loads.

Pump oil can be reduced by a properly installed fore-line trap. syphoning oil from the backing
pump after shut down into the turbo pump can be protected against by installing an automatic up-
to-air valve.

Diffusion Pumps (Fig. 7) Oil diffusion pumps are most commonly used for industrial processing
in the10 to Pascal range. This type of pumping system is the lowest first cost for its pressure
range, but cryogenic cold trapping must be used for processes sensitive to backstreamed oil.
Diffusion pumps are available in a wide range of sizes. Diffusion pumps are boosters and
therefore require backing pumps which must be protected against backstreaming or syphoning
the lubrication oil into the diffusion pump: this is the same problem as discussed under Roots
pumps, except that the fore-line (discharge) pressure must be maintained below its tolerable level
or the diffusion pump backstreaming will be excessive. It is advisable to use the same oil in the
diffusion pump and backing pump if practical

Entrainment Pumps Cryogenic Pumps (FIG. 9) Cryo vacuum pumping is accomplished by a

condenser and adsorber at cryogenic temperatures within or connected to the vacuum system.
available in medium to large capacity sizes for most high vacuum applications. Because of its
lack of contamination back streaming and high pumping speed, it is popular for space simulation,
manufacturing of thin film electronic devices and other sensitive processes. failure during

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operation should be considered in application design. This type of pump is Regeneration is
required and the possibility of power

Ionization Pumps (Fig. 11) The ionization pump uses the Penning gage principle to collect gas
within the pump structure by ionization and gettering. These work best below the lo2 Pascal
range as pump life is relatively short at higher pressures. They find use in materials research and
micro miniature circuitry fabrication as well as space simulation. As there is no oil or other
contaminant in the system. The roughing system may include a turbo or cry0 pump and a well
trapped two stage mechanical pump or an adsorption pump. The lack of traps and baffles, low
power requirements and lack of need for LN2 are operating advantages particularly for long term
life tests. A turbo or cry0 pump may be necessary to pump the non-getterable gases in some'
applications. A primary advantage is that they provide a "dry vacuum environment" Blank-off in
the 10-9 Pascal range 'is practical. The ion pump has a finite capacity and is relatively. Costly to
rebuild when saturated; it cannot be regenerated as can a cry0 or adsorption pump. Start-up
pressure is critical and a used pump, if started at too high a pressure, may go into a glow
discharge mode and release previous pumped gasses which can contaminate the chamber and the
product under test or production.

Titanium Sublimation Pump (Fig. 10)

Sublimation of titanium (or other active metal) onto a surface will getter some gases providing
high pumping speeds. Pumping methods. Be mechanically removed. Requiring no backing pump
make it a completely closed system. May be desireable to remove traces of non-getterable gases.
Occurs on power failure and only a small pressure rise takes place in a well-built system. This
technique supplements other The titanium source is replaceable and the reacted deposits may A
small turbo pump Combined with an ionization pump and the advantage of No contamination

Sorption Pump (Fig. 12) Silica gel and other gas sorption materials, may be used to evacuate a
chamber by chilling with liquid nitrogen or other refrigerant when the risk of back streaming
from a mechanical pump must be avoided. Small systems, when cycle time is not a problem.
Required and time consuming. They are only practical for Regeneration is frequently.

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VACCUM GENERATORS

A vacuum generator is a single stage venturi that creates high vacuum with fast response using
compressed air. The ability to control this performance renders this technology as an excellent
solution for factory automation. In principle, compressed air is throttled as the air exits the
nozzle and is discharged into the diffuser. This increased velocity of air lowers the pressure in
the diffusion chamber. The volume of air within the closed vacuum system flows into the low
pressure area of the diffusion chamber and is exhausted thru the diffuser. This effect increases
the vacuum level and evacuates most of the air within the closed vacuum system at supersonic
speeds

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Additional Advantages to Venturi Generators

• No Moving Components

• Low Maintenance

• Long Life

• Responsive

• Physically Small

• Cost Effective

Applying the Venturi Generator

There are two basic approaches when designing a vacuum system with venturi generators.

1. Design a system with basic venturi generators and individual components to support the
vacuum circuit.

2. Design a system with all of the supporting components integrated into the venturi generator.

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Venturi Generator with Power Loss Circuits : When designing a vacuum system that requires
a Normally Open circuit or Emergency Stop circuits to avoid any hazard during a power failure,
consider the circuits below and on the following page.

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SELECTING A GENERATOR SIZE

The choice of Generator Series depends on the system requirements for components and overall
performance for the application. Inline Generators offer the basic function for creating vacuum
flow. Adding integrated components such as automatic blow off Controls, Vacuum and Blow-off
Solenoids, Pressure Sensors, Check Valves and Filters are options that can reduce overall
mounting space, reduce cycle time and can offer air conservation functions as well as emergency
stop modes. For guidelines on selecting Vacuum Generators by features, consult the highlight
features in the Generator Index section for each Series Section. A vacuum source can only
achieve and hold a degree of vacuum that sustains the amount of leakage into the vacuum
system. In most cases, it is the leakage through the product and by of the cup seal that limits the
system degree of vacuum. Products with high product leakage are Porous Applications. The
degree of vacuum that can be obtained with this type of product can vary and tends to be below
10 inHg.

Products with low or no leakage are called Non-Porous Applications. It can be assumed that the
maximum degree of vacuum of the system is the maximum degree of the vacuum generator. Due
to design cycle time and safety requirements, a lower degree of vacuum is generally chosen other
than the maximum obtainable degree of vacuum. Chart 1 lists different units of measure for
vacuum with typical application levels The system degree of vacuum must be determined by
product testing.

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VACCUM EJECTORS

A vacuum ejector or simply ejector is a type of vacuum pump, which produces vacuum by
means of the Venturi effect. In an ejector, a working fluid (liquid or gaseous) flows through a jet
nozzle into a tube that first narrows and then expands in cross-sectional area. The fluid leaving
the jet is flowing at a high velocity which due to Bernoulli's principle results in it having low
pressure, thus generating a vacuum. The outer tube then narrows into a mixing section where the
high velocity working fluid mixes with the fluid that is drawn in by the vacuum, imparting
enough velocity for it to be ejected, the tube then typically expands in order to decrease the
velocity of the ejected stream, allowing the pressure to smoothly increase to the external
pressure. The strength of the vacuum produced depends on the velocity and shape of the fluid jet
and the shape of the constriction and mixing sections, but if a liquid is used as the working fluid
the strength of the vacuum produced is limited by the vapor pressure of the liquid (for water,
3.2 kPa or 0.46 psi or 32 mbar at 25 °C or 77 °F). If a gas is used, however, this restriction does
not exist. If not considering the source of the working fluid, vacuum ejectors can be significantly
more compact than a self-powered vacuum pump of the same capacity.

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A vacuum ejector uses steam pressure to draw air out of the vacuum pipe and reservoirs of
continuous train brake. Steam locomotives, with a ready source of steam, found ejector
technology ideal with its rugged simplicity and lack of moving parts. The vacuum ejector, or
pneumatic vacuum generator, is a small, economic vacuum component that uses a positive
pressure air source to generate negative pressure (vacuum).

TYPES OF EJECTORS
Water aspirator

The cheap and simple water aspirator is commonly used

in chemistry and biology laboratories and consists of a tee fitting attached to a tap and has a hose
barb at one side. The flow of water passes through the straight portion of the tee, which has a
restriction at the intersection, where the hose barb is attached. The vacuum hose should be
connected to this barb. In the past, water aspirators were common for low-strength vacuums in
chemistry benchwork. However, they are water-intensive, and depending on what the vacuum is
being used for (e.g. solvent removal), they can violate environmental protection laws such as
the RCRA by mixing potentially hazardous chemicals into the water stream, then flushing them
down a drain that often leads directly to the municipal sewer. Their use has decreased somewhat
as small electric vacuum pumps are far more effective, environmentally safe, and have become
more affordable, but the unmatched simplicity and reliability of this device have caused it to
remain popular for small labs or as a backup.

Another, much larger version of this device is used in maritime operations as a device to dewater
(drain) areas in a ship that have been flooded in emergency situations. Typically referred to as an
eductor in these applications, this is preferred over electrical pumps due to their simplicity,
compact size, and greatly mitigated risk of explosion in the event that flammable liquids and/or
vapors are present. Additionally, unlike many mechanical pumps, they can also pass debris as the
eductor has no moving parts that can be fouled. This makes an eductor especially useful in
situations where fitting a debris strainer to the suction port will present more issues than it
resolves. The size of the debris that can be passed depends on the physical size of the eductor.
Sizes, flow ratings, and applications vary, including eductors that are permanently installed
(typically used in very large spaces, such as a ship's main engine room), or portable models that
can be lowered into spaces by a rope and supplied and drained through firefighting hoses. Most

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are supplied through a ship's firefighting main, and portable models can also be supplied by an
emergency pump, provided it can supply sufficient flow to operate the eductor.
Steam Ejector

The industrial steam ejector (also called the "steam jet ejector", "steam aspirator", or "evactor")
uses steam as a working fluid and multistage systems can produce very high vacuums. Due to the
lack of delicate moving parts and the flow of steam providing somewhat of cleaning action,
steam ejectors can handle gas flows containing liquids, dust, or even solid particles that would
damage or clog many other vacuum pumps. Ejectors made entirely from specialised materials
such as PTFE or graphite have allowed usage of extremely corrosive gasses, since steam ejectors
have no moving parts they can be constructed in their entirety from almost any material that has
sufficient durability.

In order to avoid using too much steam or impractical operating pressures, a single steam-ejector
stage is generally not used to generate vacuum below approximately 10 kPa (75 mmHg).[1] To
generate higher vacuum, multiple stages are used; in a two-stage steam ejector, for example, the
second stage provides vacuum for the waste steam output by the first stage. Condensers are
typically used between stages to significantly reduce the load on the later stages. Steam ejectors
with two, three, four, five and six stages may be used to produce vacuums down to 2.5 kPa, 300
Pa, 40 Pa, 4 Pa, and 0.4 Pa, respectively.[1]

Steam ejectors are also suitable for pumping many liquids since if the steam can be easily
condensed into the liquid then there is no need to separate the working fluid or manage a mist of
liquid droplets. This is the manner in which a steam injector operates.

An additional use for the injector technology is in vacuum ejectors in continuous train braking
systems, which were made compulsory in the UK by the Regulation of Railways Act 1889. A
vacuum ejector uses steam pressure to draw air out of the vacuum pipe and reservoirs of
continuous train brake. Steam locomotives, with a ready source of steam, found ejector
technology ideal with its rugged simplicity and lack of moving parts. A steam locomotive
usually has two ejectors: a large ejector for releasing the brakes when stationary and a small
ejector for maintaining the vacuum against leaks. The exhaust from the ejectors is invariably
directed to the smokebox, by which means it assists the blower in draughting the fire. The small
ejector is sometimes replaced by a reciprocating pump driven from the crosshead because this is
more economical of steam and is only required to operate when the train is moving.

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Air Ejector

Commonly called an air ejector, Venturi pump, or vacuum ejector. This ejector is similar in
operation to the steam ejector but uses high-pressure air as the working fluid. Multistage air
ejectors can be used, but since air cannot easily be condensed at room temperature, an air ejector
is usually limited to two stages as each subsequent stage would have to be significantly larger
than the last. These are commonly used in pneumatic handling equipment when a small vacuum
is required to pick up objects since compressed air is often already present to power other parts
of the equipment. Air ejectors used to suction liquids directly will produce a fine mist of
droplets, this is how airbrushes and many other spraying systems operate, but when a spray is not
required it is typically an undesirable effect that limits the applications to gas suction.

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[19]S W Mei, J J Wang, F Tian, et al. Design and engineering implementation of non-
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