Oxygen Pumping
A dry pump is ideal for pumping oxygen rich mixtures!
Key benefits of XDS dry scroll pumps for Oxygen rich applications:
THE STANDARD XDS PUMP CAN PUMP OXYGEN WITHOUT SPECIAL PREPARATION OR MODIFICATION.
- No oil or grease within the vacuum envelope
- Isolated bearings and dry mechanism eliminates any oil or grease that create the “fuel” side of the fire triangle
- No working fluid to become oxidized that would cause degradation of pumping performance
- Eliminates the requirement for expensive PFPE fluid - such as Fomblin® or Krytox®.
- No messy oil changes or oil disposal required. The unique design eliminating the rotary shaft seal overcomes issues associated with pumping fluid leaks at this critical point and the requirement for use and replacement of special PFPE shaft seals
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XDS scroll pumps make pumping oxygen rich environments safe and easy. The completely dry mechanism and isolated bearings ensures the gas being pumped does not come into contact with any oils or greases, thus the fire triangle’s “fuel” side is removed. An XDS scroll pump is a safe alternative for pumping oxygen rich environments (>21% concentration) with no need to use specially modified pumps that will run very expensive PFPE inert fluids.
If you are currently using a PFPE prepared oil sealed pump for oxygen rich pumping, consider changing to an XDS scroll pump and enjoy the benefits of less maintenance, less mess and therefore reduced cost.
NOTE: Due to safety issues Edwards does not recommend pumping oxygen rich gas load with a hydrocarbon based pump
Oil sealed pumps and oxygen pumping
When using a vacuum pump to evacuate or pump gas mixtures that contain oxygen in higher concentrations than found in air, special precautions need to be taken to ensure safe and reliable operation of the vacuum pump system.
In the fire triangle above, the vacuum pump can be considered the source of heat, the vacuum pump (hydrocarbon) oil the source of fuel, and the gas/vapour being pumped the source of oxygen - take any of these away and the fire will not occur.
The ratio of fuel to oxygen can also have an effect on the how the chemical reaction-fire occurs; getting it wrong in a vacuum pump can lead to a potentially explosive situation. As vacuum pumps have moving parts, it is impractical to assume that an ignition source can be eliminated, and as such, the only safe way to pump oxygen in enriched concentrations is to remove the fuel source (oil).
By eliminating all traces of oil or grease from the portion of the pump mechanism that comes into contact with the gas being pumped, the XDS scroll pumps negate the need for special fluids or gas purges meaning simpler installation and less maintenance.
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