Making chemical processes possible with vacuum technology
Chemical compounds are a part of our everyday lives in small but vital ways. They allow us to heal, make useful packaging materials, they help us grow food, they are in our medicines and cosmetics, they help us to make the world greener and our lives more sustainable. From smart phones to vehicles, from foam mattresses to clothing and footwear, from kitchen to farms, from drugs to cosmetics, we are living in a world defined by chemicals.
Chemical processes are not always easy to handle, with many challenges where vacuum lends a helping hand. All successful chemical manufacturers understand the crucial role of vacuum for chemical processing. These challenging applications require superior vacuum performance, energy efficiency, with a lower cost of ownership and environmentally friendly concept functioning, with the added guarantee of reliability and safe operation.
Which vacuum pump is right for your application?
The chemical processing industry is diverse and covers sectors such as oil and gas, petrochemical, pharmaceuticals, specialty and fine chemical, biobased chemicals, flavors and fragrances, vapour recovery and more. With rapid advances in technology, chemical processing industry place increasingly challenging demands on vacuum systems. As a world leader in vacuum solutions and innovator in vacuum pump design and manufacturing, Edwards offers a comprehensive range of vacuum pumps that cater to a variety of applications, which can navigate the complexities of the process industry with confidence and empower our customers to optimise production, minimise downtime, and maximise efficiency with the right pump technology and tailored solutions.
Why choose Edwards vacuum solutions?
As industry experts in vacuum technology and decades of application expertise. We don’t just provide product for your application needs but rather focus on creating all-round dependable vacuum solutions and support and enhance and empower your processes and operational goals.
Commitment to quality production
Vacuum is used in a wide range of chemical processing industry applications, including but not limited to distillation, concentration, evaporation, drying, filtering, reactions, polymerisation, solvent recovery, crystallisation, desorption, deodorisation, hydrogenation, sterilisation, etc. A vacuum system can affect every aspect of a process, such as utility consumption, processing times, quality of product, safety and environmental impact. Benefits of vacuum enabling chemical processing industry including but not limited to:
- Reduced energy consumption
- Reduced risk of heat damage to sensitive products
- Enhanced product quality through impurity removal
- Safer operating atmospheres through oxygen exclusion
- Increased yield by shifting reaction equilibrium.
Robust reliability for the peace of mind
At Edwards, we understand the critical importance of reliable vacuum solutions in chemical process industry. Our applications knowledge and vacuum expertise make it possible for us to provide a robust, highly reliable solutions for pumps and combination, tailored into a vacuum system designed for the need, and considering multiple design elements such as:
- Vacuum pump technology and performances
- Materials of constructions and compatibility with process gases or vapours
- Regulations and standards
- Design process conditions and potential upsets
- Selection of accessories such as filters, separators, condensers, flame arrestors etc.
- System lay-out and operation recommendations (Don’ts and do’s)
- Vacuum system control philosophy
Safe operations in hazardous environments
During a chemical processing process, vacuum pumps are often used to pump potentially flammable or explosive gases and vapours. Mishandling these applications/substances can result in big safety risk. Edwards can offer a wide range of products which are designed to handle flammable atmosphere, or to operate in an explosive atmosphere, without causing an explosion or fire hazard. These products are certified for use in and with explosive atmospheres certified for ATEX, adhering to relevant American and other applicable global standards.
For regional markets, suitable electrical components like valves, motors for hazardous location to suit the customer requirements can be chosen and combined with the Edwards chemical pump range to achieve compliance with the country’s explosion proof legislation.