PuK - Process Technology & Components 2024

Pumps/Vacuum technology
Companies – Innovations – Products
1600 holes, no air bubbles
The strand of square-shaped ceramic, still damp, slides smoothly out
of the screw press. But after 1.50 metres, the race is over. Clever hands
then cut off the front piece and place it on a large rack to dry. They
do this continuously in three shifts. After around nine days, when the
mass only contains one percent residual moisture, the honeycombs
are fired in an oven at 1,200 degrees. 1,600 small holes run through
them lengthwise like honeycomb cells, separated only by fine walls, all
precise and symmetrical. To ensure that this remains the case after the
combustion process, the mass must not contain any air pockets. These
would expand with the heat in the oven and cause the entire honeycomb
body to burst. For this reason, the mass must be degassed beforehand
with SIMPLEX vacuum systems from Busch. At the heart of
each control cabinet and vacuum vessel is a MINK MV Synchro dry claw
vacuum pump. What other vacuum pumps see as a challenge, namely
handling very moist, paste-like masses, they can master with ease.
This is precisely why they have been developed for extruder degassing.
tems from Busch are completely different. They do not require oil in
the compression chamber and are virtually maintenance-free, quiet
and frequency controlled. While the previous pumps were constantly
running and had to be manually controlled by means of false air valves,
the new vacuum systems from Busch automatically adapt to the required
vacuum level and switch off when no vacuum is required. “We
initially used a Busch loaner system for testing purposes and were immediately
impressed. We are still completely satisfied with our own
SIMPLEX systems today. In terms of maintenance, the new systems really
make things much easier,” says the Managing Director.
From Hermsdorf to the world
Two energy-saving, extremely low-maintenance dry standard systems
that replace four old, energy- and maintenance-intensive oil-lubricated
pumps: “Thanks to the good advice we received from Busch, we have
saved 10,000 kWh per year. Since installation, the two vacuum systems
have been running absolutely trouble-free. There’s no comparison with
the predecessor pumps at all,” says the Managing Director. And thanks
to the new vacuum solution from Busch, 80,000 to 90,000 high-quality
honeycomb bodies in various shapes and sizes leave the traditional
plant in Hermsdorf every month. They ensure efficient heat recovery
and clean air in ventilation systems of passive houses or afterburning
plants on large container ships and cruise ships worldwide.
Busch Vacuum Solutions
Schauinslandstr. 1
79689 Maulburg, Germany
Phone +49 (7622) 681-0
Fax +49 (7622) 5484
info@busch.de
www.buschvacuum.com
Fig. 2: The intelligent vacuum system SIMPLEX VO from Busch degasses the mass
in the extruder.
No muddy matter
The previously used oil-lubricated rotary vane vacuum pumps did not
cope as well with the process conditions. “The oil quickly became an
emulsion with the condensed water vapour. They were noisy, they
stank, and the filters were permanently clogged. This resulted in excessive
wear and pump failure. Once a month we had to change the filters
and oil, which was a lovely muddy job,” says the Managing Director of
Porzellanfabrik Hermsdorf GmbH. The new SIMPLEX VO vacuum sys-
Fig. 3: The dried honeycomb bodies waiting to be fired. They do not contain air
pockets that could burst in the oven.
Compressed-air diaphragm pumps
for adhesives
Within furniture and woodworking industries, diaphragm pumps powered
by compressed air are used to pump adhesives and glues as well
as piston pumps.
And this is also why pump manufacturer JESSBERGER, based in Ottobrunn
near Munich, offers the JP-810 series of air-operated diaphragm
pumps.
The advantage of a diaphragm pump is that it is self-priming, will
operate even when it runs dry and the delivery rate is customer-adjustable
via the compressed air supply. If you close the delivery side of the
pump, it will stop immediately and restart again as soon as the need
for glue or adhesive arises and the delivery side is reopened.
The pumps are also available in an ATEX version for Ex Zone 1
(standard: Ex Zone 2, II 3/3 G Ex h IIC T4 Gb, II 3 D Ex h IIIB T 135°C
Db X) and are suitable for almost all applications. As well as neutral
liquids, the aluminium or adhesive pumps are also usable for slightly
aggressive, flammable substances and highly viscous media such as
adhesives or glues up to 50,000 mPas.
The manufacturer's diaphragm pumps have been designed using
various materials (polypropylene, stainless steel, aluminium and PVDF)
and sizes (connections ¼" to 3") and hence cover wide-ranging capacities,
from 8 l/min to 1,050 l/min. The use of 100 % oil-free compressed
58 PROCESS TECHNOLOGY & COMPONENTS 2024