We've previously talked about some of the tools we've made available to help select the right vacuum pump for your work. Our pump selection guide is a great choice if you have a strong sense of your operating parameters. And for drying processes, we've put together tools that help estimate the process time or pumping speed (flow rate) required. Another common application [...]
Our most recent post addressed the benefits of proportional - only vacuum process control. Though this approach is well suited to many processes, in some cases more accurate (or precise) control of the pressure level is necessary. Under such circumstances, employing PI (proportional-integral), or full PID (proportional-integral-derivative) control algorithms are appropriate solutions. If a P-only approach is [...]
In our prior post, we talked about using variants of the classic PID algorithm in order to control vacuum processes. In the simplest form, the PID control loop can be reduced to a P-only, or 2-point, algorithm. For example, by using a PLC or other control module to read an accurate vacuum sensor and actuate an [...]
Establishing good control over vacuum processes has numerous benefits, such as helping to improve process yields, achieve more repeatable results, and reduce process times. And there are several options for controlling vacuum processes to achieve these various benefits. This post will briefly review some of the more common approaches to vacuum control. Subsequent posts will delve [...]
In order to support a strong STEM program, DeMatha Catholic High School (Hyattsville, MD) renovated and modernized their science classrooms and laboratories in 2011. Students and their parents participated quite actively in this project, donating their time and talents in order to help avoid cost overruns on this tightly budgeted project. The school was fortunate enough [...]
In part 1 of this, we reviewed the general advantages of using dry, chemical-resistant diaphragm pumps for process scale-up applications. In part 2, we will delve into the process of configuring the mini-plant in order to realize the benefits of oil-free pumps. MINI-PLANT OPTIMIZATION The processes conducted in DSM’s mini-plants are normally multi-step operations including rectifications, distillations, evaporations, [...]
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 kilo labs. However, rotary vane pumps also include several critical disadvantages which make their use in pilot [...]
