US20090035157A1 - Vacuum pump incorporating safety device and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents
Vacuum pump incorporating safety device and manufacturing method thereof Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20090035157A1 US20090035157A1 US12/182,390 US18239008A US2009035157A1 US 20090035157 A1 US20090035157 A1 US 20090035157A1 US 18239008 A US18239008 A US 18239008A US 2009035157 A1 US2009035157 A1 US 2009035157A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- safety device
- port
- vacuum pump
- break
- membrane
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C28/00—Control of, monitoring of, or safety arrangements for, pumps or pumping installations specially adapted for elastic fluids
- F04C28/28—Safety arrangements; Monitoring
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16K—VALVES; TAPS; COCKS; ACTUATING-FLOATS; DEVICES FOR VENTING OR AERATING
- F16K17/00—Safety valves; Equalising valves, e.g. pressure relief valves
- F16K17/02—Safety valves; Equalising valves, e.g. pressure relief valves opening on surplus pressure on one side; closing on insufficient pressure on one side
- F16K17/14—Safety valves; Equalising valves, e.g. pressure relief valves opening on surplus pressure on one side; closing on insufficient pressure on one side with fracturing member
- F16K17/16—Safety valves; Equalising valves, e.g. pressure relief valves opening on surplus pressure on one side; closing on insufficient pressure on one side with fracturing member with fracturing diaphragm ; Rupture discs
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C18/00—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids
- F04C18/30—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F04C18/02, F04C18/08, F04C18/22, F04C18/24, F04C18/48, or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members
- F04C18/34—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F04C18/02, F04C18/08, F04C18/22, F04C18/24, F04C18/48, or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F04C18/08 or F04C18/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members
- F04C18/344—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F04C18/02, F04C18/08, F04C18/22, F04C18/24, F04C18/48, or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F04C18/08 or F04C18/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member
- F04C18/3441—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F04C18/02, F04C18/08, F04C18/22, F04C18/24, F04C18/48, or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F04C18/08 or F04C18/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member the inner and outer member being in contact along one line or continuous surface substantially parallel to the axis of rotation
- F04C18/3442—Rotary-piston pumps specially adapted for elastic fluids having the characteristics covered by two or more of groups F04C18/02, F04C18/08, F04C18/22, F04C18/24, F04C18/48, or having the characteristics covered by one of these groups together with some other type of movement between co-operating members having the movement defined in group F04C18/08 or F04C18/22 and relative reciprocation between the co-operating members with vanes reciprocating with respect to the inner member the inner and outer member being in contact along one line or continuous surface substantially parallel to the axis of rotation the surfaces of the inner and outer member, forming the inlet and outlet opening
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C2220/00—Application
- F04C2220/10—Vacuum
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F04—POSITIVE - DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS
- F04C—ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; ROTARY-PISTON, OR OSCILLATING-PISTON, POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT PUMPS
- F04C2240/00—Components
- F04C2240/30—Casings or housings
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a safety device for a vacuum pump. More particularly, the present invention relates to a safety device intended for use against overpressures that could damage a vacuum pump.
- the safety device according to the subject invention can be incorporated in vacuum pumps of any kind. It is especially useful in vacuum pumps that discharge the pumped gas directly at atmospheric pressure, i.e. substantially without the need for a forepump. More particularly, the safety device can be advantageously applied to oil rotary vacuum pumps, which are generally used to attain low vacuum conditions in a pressure range from atmospheric pressure down to a pressure of about 10 ⁇ 1 Pa.
- Contemporary oil rotary vacuum pump 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , generally comprise a first external casing 12 , in which a second internal casing 14 is located within which a stator surrounding a cylindrical chamber 16 is defined.
- Chamber 16 accommodates a cylindrical rotor 18 rotating by a motor 20 associated with vacuum pump 10 and has an axis parallel with the axis of cylindrical chamber 16 but eccentrically located with respect to that axis.
- One or more radially movable radial vanes 22 are mounted on rotor 18 and are kept against the wall of chamber 16 by means of springs 24 .
- Gas is sucked through suction port 20 passing through a suction duct 28 into chamber 16 where it is pushed and thus compressed by vanes 22 , and then is exhausted through an exhaust duct 30 ending at a corresponding exhaust port 32 .
- a proper amount of oil is introduced into external casing 12 through port 34 of a supply duct provided.
- the port 34 is then sealed by a cap 36 so that the second internal casing 14 is immersed in an oil bath 38 , which acts as coolant and lubricating fluid.
- an oil bath 38 acts as coolant and lubricating fluid.
- some oil passes from bath 38 into chamber 16 and forms a thin film that ensures tightness between vanes 22 of rotor 18 and the wall of chamber 16 .
- Examples of oil rotary pumps are disclosed in documents U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,585 and G.B. Patent No. 2151091.
- a drawback of prior art oil rotary pumps is substantial when an overpressure is generated inside the pump and, no emergency system is provided to reduce and manage such overpressure. In this situation the oil rotary pump can be severely damaged.
- vacuum pump 10 sucks air at atmospheric pressure from the outside environment and discharges it into a hermetically sealed space.
- a quick pressure increase inside the vacuum pump in the absence of an emergency system for reducing such pressure causes severe damages to the vacuum pump. Due to the wide surface offered by the walls of the pump casing relative to the outside environment, which typically is at atmospheric pressure, the force resulting from too high pressure can directly lead to the complete structural collapse of the casing itself.
- the threshold is chosen low enough to be sensibly lower than the pressure value at which the vacuum pump components would be damaged, so that the breakable member breaks before the pump can undergo any permanent damage.
- this threshold is high enough to be sensibly higher than the pressure values existing inside the vacuum pump during storage, transportation, installation and normal operation; therefore the safety device can be directly mounted during vacuum pump manufacturing without the risk that during the subsequent operations the breakable member breaks too early when no actual risk exists for the pump.
- the safety device is used to shut already existing port of a duct, which port is different from the suction or exhaust ports.
- the safety device is used to close the port of the supply duct of the oil reservoir and it replaces the conventionally used cap.
- the safety device can be embodied into already existing vacuum pump system without need for structural modifications.
- the safety device can be mounted on the port of a duct so as to prevent inadvertent tampering of the safety device during normal operation or normal maintenance of the pump when filling the oil reservoir.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an oil rotary vacuum pump of known type
- FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vacuum pump shown in FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the safety device according to the invention.
- FIG. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the safety device shown in FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 5 is a top view of the breakable member of the safety device shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 .
- the safety device comprises a cylindrical body 1 having a head 1 a and a threaded stem 1 b that can be coupled with the internal thread of a corresponding port of a duct that puts the interior of a vacuum pump casing in communication with the outside environment.
- stem 1 b of body 1 of the safety device is arranged to be screwed into the inlet port of the supply duct for the oil reservoir 34 in FIG. 1 , and replaces the cap 36 in FIG. 1
- the vacuum pump can comprise a second duct, specially provided, which puts the interior of the vacuum pump casing in communication with the outside environment, with the safety device which is coupled to the port of this second duct.
- Body 1 of the safety device further has an axial through-hole 1 c forming a channel establishing communication between the interior of a vacuum pump casing, e.g. the outer casing in the oil rotary vacuum pump, and the outside environment.
- a vacuum pump casing e.g. the outer casing in the oil rotary vacuum pump
- stem 1 b and head 1 a of the body will have a diameter of 22 to 30 mm and 30 to 40 mm, respectively, whereas axial hole 1 c will have a diameter of 12 to 17 mm.
- the axial through-hole 1 c is closed by a breakable member 3 , which is received in a first circumferential seat 1 d formed on body 1 and which breaks when it is subjected to a pressure equals to or higher than a predetermined threshold p break .
- the material, the size and the structure of breakable member 3 are chosen so that p break ⁇ p max .
- pressure threshold p break at which breakable member 3 breaks is determined within a pressure range that not only prevents the occurrence of accidents damaging the vacuum pump structure, and but also prevents the accidental breakage of the breakable member during normal life of the pump.
- the value of p break is advantageously set to about 2.0 bars (0.2 Mpa).
- breakable member 3 is retained within its seat 1 d by using a “Seeger” (Seeger—Orbits GmbH & Co. OHG, Germany) retaining ring 5 , in turn mounted with interference in a second seat 1 e formed to this aim in head 1 a of body 1 .
- a spacer ring 7 is arranged between breakable member 3 and “Seeger” retaining ring 5 and is received in a third intermediate seat 1 f formed to this aim in head 1 a of body 1 .
- “Seeger” retaining ring 5 not only keeps breakable member 3 in position, but it causes also axial compression of edge 3 a of said member 3 and consequently a deformation thereof, thereby ensuring vacuum tightness during normal pump operation, as it will be described below in more detail.
- breakable member 3 of the safety device keeps unbroken, thus ensuring vacuum tightness. If, because of a mounting error or a failure, pressure inside the pump casing increases up to threshold p break , breakable member 3 of the safety device breaks, thereby putting the interior of the vacuum pump casing in communication with the outside environment through hole 1 c and thus allowing the accumulated overpressure to be discharged to the outside before the pressure inside the pump casing reaches critical value p max .
- Body 1 of the safety device can be made of plastics, e.g. a polyamide-based polymer, or other types of materials can also be used.
- Body 1 as well as spacer ring 7 and “Seeger” retaining ring 5 are preferably to maintain their structural integrity at pressures lower than or equal to p break . Otherwise stated, breakable member 3 must break first, at a pressure at which the structural integrity of the other components of the safety device is ensured.
- the breakable member consists of a membrane 3 made of Viton® or similar elastomeric material.
- Membrane 3 comprises a first, thicker circumferential portion 3 a ; a second peripheral portion 3 b of intermediate thickness; a third, thinner central portion 3 c.
- the first circumferential portion 3 a preferably has a thickness in the range 1.5 to 2.0 mm and is intended to ensure vacuum tightness once membrane 3 is placed in its seat 1 d and is locked in said seat by “Seeger” retaining ring 5 (see FIG. 3 ). Otherwise stated, the first circumferential portion 3 a is equivalent to an O-ring gasket integrated into membrane 3 .
- Central portion 3 c that, when membrane 3 is placed in its seat 1 d , is substantially aligned with axial through-hole 1 c of body 1 , is thinner than the rest of membrane 3 and forms therefore the membrane part that first fails when pressure increases. Otherwise stated, the structure, and more particularly the thickness, of central portion 3 c of membrane 3 determines the pressure at which the membrane will lose its integrity, and consequently, the structure and the thickness of central portion 3 c of membrane 3 will be chosen so that the central portion 3 c breaks at a pressure of about p break .
- central portion 3 c of membrane 3 will have a thickness in the range 0.01 to 0.2 mm and preferably a thickness of about 0.1 mm.
- Peripheral portion 3 b of membrane 3 has instead of thickness of some tenths of millimetre (e.g. 0.5 mm) and merely serves to connect sealing circumferential portion 3 a and breakable central portion 3 c.
- membrane 3 will have in the whole a diameter in the range 22 to 30 mm and central portion 3 c of said membrane 3 preferably will have a diameter in the range 12 to 17 mm.
- membrane 3 not only acts as the breakable member of the safety device, but also ensures vacuum tightness.
- the breakable member of the safety device does not simultaneously provide also the vacuum tightness function and that it is associated with a separate member providing for such a function.
- breakable member 3 is made of polymeric material, however other materials could also be employed, such as metals (e.g. aluminium), plastic materials or amorphous materials (e.g. glass).
- metals e.g. aluminium
- plastic materials e.g. glass
- amorphous materials e.g. glass
- the thickness chosen for the breakable member will change depending on the chosen material.
- the thickness chosen for the breakable member will also change depending on the area of the breakable member, since the force to which it will be subjected during operation is the product of the pressure by the surface onto which said pressure is applied.
- a breakable member integrally made with body 1 of the safety device could even be employed.
- the safety device according to the invention is not only applicable to the kind of pumps.
- the safety device according to the invention could be associated with a port of any duct that, in the vacuum pump, is capable of putting the interior of the casing of the pump in communication with the outside environment.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Applications Or Details Of Rotary Compressors (AREA)
- Compressors, Vaccum Pumps And Other Relevant Systems (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The subject patent application is claiming a priority of European Patent Application No. 07425484.8 filed in the European Patent Office on Jul. 30, 2007.
- The present invention relates to a safety device for a vacuum pump. More particularly, the present invention relates to a safety device intended for use against overpressures that could damage a vacuum pump.
- The safety device according to the subject invention can be incorporated in vacuum pumps of any kind. It is especially useful in vacuum pumps that discharge the pumped gas directly at atmospheric pressure, i.e. substantially without the need for a forepump. More particularly, the safety device can be advantageously applied to oil rotary vacuum pumps, which are generally used to attain low vacuum conditions in a pressure range from atmospheric pressure down to a pressure of about 10−1 Pa.
- Contemporary oil
rotary vacuum pump 10 as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 , generally comprise a firstexternal casing 12, in which a secondinternal casing 14 is located within which a stator surrounding acylindrical chamber 16 is defined.Chamber 16 accommodates acylindrical rotor 18 rotating by amotor 20 associated withvacuum pump 10 and has an axis parallel with the axis ofcylindrical chamber 16 but eccentrically located with respect to that axis. One or more radially movable radial vanes 22 (two in the illustrated embodiment) are mounted onrotor 18 and are kept against the wall ofchamber 16 by means ofsprings 24. - Gas is sucked through
suction port 20 passing through asuction duct 28 intochamber 16 where it is pushed and thus compressed byvanes 22, and then is exhausted through anexhaust duct 30 ending at acorresponding exhaust port 32. - A proper amount of oil is introduced into
external casing 12 throughport 34 of a supply duct provided. Theport 34 is then sealed by acap 36 so that the secondinternal casing 14 is immersed in anoil bath 38, which acts as coolant and lubricating fluid. In these types of pumps, some oil passes frombath 38 intochamber 16 and forms a thin film that ensures tightness betweenvanes 22 ofrotor 18 and the wall ofchamber 16. Examples of oil rotary pumps are disclosed in documents U.S. Pat. No. 6,019,585 and G.B. Patent No. 2151091. - A drawback of prior art oil rotary pumps is substantial when an overpressure is generated inside the pump and, no emergency system is provided to reduce and manage such overpressure. In this situation the oil rotary pump can be severely damaged.
- By the way of example, it can be assumed that a clumsy user accidentally connects
suction port 26 ofvacuum pump 10 to the high pressure side (e.g. the outside environment) andexhaust port 32 of saidvacuum pump 10 to the low pressure side (e.g. a vacuum chamber). Due to such inversion of suction and exhaust,vacuum pump 10 sucks air at atmospheric pressure from the outside environment and discharges it into a hermetically sealed space. A quick pressure increase inside the vacuum pump in the absence of an emergency system for reducing such pressure causes severe damages to the vacuum pump. Due to the wide surface offered by the walls of the pump casing relative to the outside environment, which typically is at atmospheric pressure, the force resulting from too high pressure can directly lead to the complete structural collapse of the casing itself. - It is an object of the present invention to prevent the occurrence of accidents of the kind described above by providing a safety device preventing the increase of pressure above a predetermined safety threshold inside a vacuum pump casing. This and other objects are achieved by means of a safety device according to the invention, as claimed in the appended claims.
- Due to the safety device disposed at the port of a duct connecting the interior of the vacuum pump casing to the outside environment, which is equipped with a breakable member, which breaks in the presence of a pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the accidents and damages to the pump itself are prevented, when the threshold has been properly chosen.
- Advantageously, the threshold is chosen low enough to be sensibly lower than the pressure value at which the vacuum pump components would be damaged, so that the breakable member breaks before the pump can undergo any permanent damage.
- Also advantageously, this threshold is high enough to be sensibly higher than the pressure values existing inside the vacuum pump during storage, transportation, installation and normal operation; therefore the safety device can be directly mounted during vacuum pump manufacturing without the risk that during the subsequent operations the breakable member breaks too early when no actual risk exists for the pump.
- According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the safety device is used to shut already existing port of a duct, which port is different from the suction or exhaust ports. In particular, for oil rotary vacuum pumps, the safety device is used to close the port of the supply duct of the oil reservoir and it replaces the conventionally used cap.
- Advantageously, according to that preferred embodiment of the invention, the safety device can be embodied into already existing vacuum pump system without need for structural modifications.
- According to yet another embodiment, the safety device can be mounted on the port of a duct so as to prevent inadvertent tampering of the safety device during normal operation or normal maintenance of the pump when filling the oil reservoir.
- A preferred embodiment of the invention, given by way of non limiting example, will now be described in more detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an oil rotary vacuum pump of known type; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vacuum pump shown inFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the safety device according to the invention; -
FIG. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the safety device shown inFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 5 is a top view of the breakable member of the safety device shown inFIGS. 3 and 4 . - Referring to
FIGS. 3 and 4 , the safety device according to the invention comprises acylindrical body 1 having ahead 1 a and a threadedstem 1 b that can be coupled with the internal thread of a corresponding port of a duct that puts the interior of a vacuum pump casing in communication with the outside environment. - For the oil rotary vacuum pumps of the kind shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 ,stem 1 b ofbody 1 of the safety device is arranged to be screwed into the inlet port of the supply duct for theoil reservoir 34 inFIG. 1 , and replaces thecap 36 inFIG. 1 - According to an alternative embodiment, the vacuum pump can comprise a second duct, specially provided, which puts the interior of the vacuum pump casing in communication with the outside environment, with the safety device which is coupled to the port of this second duct.
-
Body 1 of the safety device further has an axial through-hole 1 c forming a channel establishing communication between the interior of a vacuum pump casing, e.g. the outer casing in the oil rotary vacuum pump, and the outside environment. - By the way of example, if the safety device replaces
cap 36 of the oil reservoir in the oil rotary vacuum pump,stem 1 b andhead 1 a of the body will have a diameter of 22 to 30 mm and 30 to 40 mm, respectively, whereasaxial hole 1 c will have a diameter of 12 to 17 mm. - The axial through-
hole 1 c is closed by abreakable member 3, which is received in a first circumferential seat 1 d formed onbody 1 and which breaks when it is subjected to a pressure equals to or higher than a predetermined threshold pbreak. - Advantageously, once a limit maximum pressure pmax, corresponding to the minimum pressure at which the components of the oil rotary vacuum pump become damaged, has been determined, the material, the size and the structure of
breakable member 3 are chosen so that pbreak<pmax. - Moreover, once determined the maximum pressure, pmin to which the components of the oil rotary vacuum pump are subjected during the usual phases of storage, transportation (in particular air transportation), installation and normal operation of the vacuum pump, the material, the size and the structure of
breakable member 3 are chosen so that pbreak>pmin. - As a result, pressure threshold pbreak at which
breakable member 3 breaks is determined within a pressure range that not only prevents the occurrence of accidents damaging the vacuum pump structure, and but also prevents the accidental breakage of the breakable member during normal life of the pump. - By way of example, in case of application to known oil rotary vacuum pumps, taking into account the components, the structure and the operating specifications of these pumps, the pressure range will generally be from pmin=1.5 bars (0.15 Mpa) to pmax=3.0 bars (0.3 Mpa). In particular the value of pbreak is advantageously set to about 2.0 bars (0.2 Mpa).
- Still referring to
FIGS. 3 and 4 ,breakable member 3 is retained within its seat 1 d by using a “Seeger” (Seeger—Orbits GmbH & Co. OHG, Germany) retainingring 5, in turn mounted with interference in asecond seat 1 e formed to this aim inhead 1 a ofbody 1. Preferably, aspacer ring 7 is arranged betweenbreakable member 3 and “Seeger”retaining ring 5 and is received in a thirdintermediate seat 1 f formed to this aim inhead 1 a ofbody 1. - As clearly shown in
FIG. 3 , “Seeger”retaining ring 5 not only keepsbreakable member 3 in position, but it causes also axial compression ofedge 3 a of saidmember 3 and consequently a deformation thereof, thereby ensuring vacuum tightness during normal pump operation, as it will be described below in more detail. - The above description clearly shows that, during normal operation of the vacuum pump, when pressure inside the casing of said pump is lower than pmin, and consequently also lower than pbreak,
breakable member 3 of the safety device keeps unbroken, thus ensuring vacuum tightness. If, because of a mounting error or a failure, pressure inside the pump casing increases up to threshold pbreak,breakable member 3 of the safety device breaks, thereby putting the interior of the vacuum pump casing in communication with the outside environment throughhole 1 c and thus allowing the accumulated overpressure to be discharged to the outside before the pressure inside the pump casing reaches critical value pmax. -
Body 1 of the safety device can be made of plastics, e.g. a polyamide-based polymer, or other types of materials can also be used.Body 1 as well asspacer ring 7 and “Seeger”retaining ring 5 are preferably to maintain their structural integrity at pressures lower than or equal to pbreak. Otherwise stated,breakable member 3 must break first, at a pressure at which the structural integrity of the other components of the safety device is ensured. - Referring to
FIG. 5 ,breakable member 3 of the safety device is shown in greater detail. According to the preferred embodiment shown herein, the breakable member consists of amembrane 3 made of Viton® or similar elastomeric material.Membrane 3 comprises a first, thickercircumferential portion 3 a; a secondperipheral portion 3 b of intermediate thickness; a third, thinnercentral portion 3 c. - The first
circumferential portion 3 a preferably has a thickness in the range 1.5 to 2.0 mm and is intended to ensure vacuum tightness oncemembrane 3 is placed in its seat 1 d and is locked in said seat by “Seeger” retaining ring 5 (seeFIG. 3 ). Otherwise stated, the firstcircumferential portion 3 a is equivalent to an O-ring gasket integrated intomembrane 3. -
Central portion 3 c that, whenmembrane 3 is placed in its seat 1 d, is substantially aligned with axial through-hole 1 c ofbody 1, is thinner than the rest ofmembrane 3 and forms therefore the membrane part that first fails when pressure increases. Otherwise stated, the structure, and more particularly the thickness, ofcentral portion 3 c ofmembrane 3 determines the pressure at which the membrane will lose its integrity, and consequently, the structure and the thickness ofcentral portion 3 c ofmembrane 3 will be chosen so that thecentral portion 3 c breaks at a pressure of about pbreak. - Considering the components, the structure and the operating specifications of known oil rotary vacuum pumps,
central portion 3 c ofmembrane 3 will have a thickness in the range 0.01 to 0.2 mm and preferably a thickness of about 0.1 mm. -
Peripheral portion 3 b ofmembrane 3 has instead of thickness of some tenths of millimetre (e.g. 0.5 mm) and merely serves to connect sealingcircumferential portion 3 a and breakablecentral portion 3 c. - Still considering the application to oil rotary vacuum pumps,
membrane 3 will have in the whole a diameter in therange 22 to 30 mm andcentral portion 3 c of saidmembrane 3 preferably will have a diameter in therange 12 to 17 mm. In this respect it is to be appreciated that, in the preferred embodiment described above,membrane 3 not only acts as the breakable member of the safety device, but also ensures vacuum tightness. - Yet, it is possible to envisage that the breakable member of the safety device does not simultaneously provide also the vacuum tightness function and that it is associated with a separate member providing for such a function. In such case, it is possible to use a thinner membrane, even of substantially uniform thickness, associated with a conventional O-ring gasket, so that the functions of safety breakage in case of failure and of vacuum tightness during normal operation are decoupled.
- In the illustrated embodiment
breakable member 3 is made of polymeric material, however other materials could also be employed, such as metals (e.g. aluminium), plastic materials or amorphous materials (e.g. glass). Clearly, the thickness chosen for the breakable member will change depending on the chosen material. The thickness chosen for the breakable member will also change depending on the area of the breakable member, since the force to which it will be subjected during operation is the product of the pressure by the surface onto which said pressure is applied. Moreover, a breakable member integrally made withbody 1 of the safety device could even be employed. - The above description clearly shows that the safety device according to the invention attains the intended aim. It is further clear that several other changes and modifications to the embodiment described and illustrated here are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.
- In particular, even if application to oil rotary vacuum pumps has been often referred to, the safety device according to the invention is not only applicable to the kind of pumps. On the contrary, given a vacuum pump having at least one casing, a first port for the inlet of a gas, a second port for the outlet of said gas and one or more pumping stages for pumping gas from the first port to the second port, the safety device according to the invention could be associated with a port of any duct that, in the vacuum pump, is capable of putting the interior of the casing of the pump in communication with the outside environment.
Claims (20)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP07425484.8 | 2007-07-30 | ||
EP07425484A EP2020508A1 (en) | 2007-07-30 | 2007-07-30 | Overpressure safety device for a vacuum pump |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20090035157A1 true US20090035157A1 (en) | 2009-02-05 |
Family
ID=38792018
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/182,390 Abandoned US20090035157A1 (en) | 2007-07-30 | 2008-07-30 | Vacuum pump incorporating safety device and manufacturing method thereof |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20090035157A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2020508A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP2009030610A (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11187337B2 (en) * | 2019-09-27 | 2021-11-30 | Goodrich Corporation | Rupture disk |
US20210372418A1 (en) * | 2020-05-27 | 2021-12-02 | Timothy A. Dedrick | Water pump drain plug system |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN102011934A (en) | 2009-09-04 | 2011-04-13 | 梅塞尔格里斯海姆(中国)投资有限公司 | Safety device to protect non pressure-resistant equipment |
Citations (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2922833A (en) * | 1955-02-28 | 1960-01-26 | Accumulatoren Fabrik Ag Fa | Pressure responsive safety device |
US4102469A (en) * | 1977-05-23 | 1978-07-25 | Continental Disc Corporation | Protected molded rupture disc |
US4146047A (en) * | 1975-09-12 | 1979-03-27 | Black, Sivals & Bryson, Inc. | Integral fluid pressure rupturable apparatus |
US5785078A (en) * | 1997-02-21 | 1998-07-28 | Salco Products, Inc. | Safety vent housing |
US6019585A (en) * | 1995-07-19 | 2000-02-01 | Leybold Vakuum Gmbh | Oil-sealed vane-type rotary vacuum pump with oil feed |
US6178759B1 (en) * | 1999-08-30 | 2001-01-30 | Mark B. Key | Rupture disk |
US20050081740A1 (en) * | 2003-09-23 | 2005-04-21 | Richard Lissa | Transportation subassembly for materials destabilized in presence of destabilizing contaminants |
US6955182B2 (en) * | 2002-01-16 | 2005-10-18 | Siimes Thomas S | Tamper proof relief valve for gas cylinder |
US20050244286A1 (en) * | 2004-04-30 | 2005-11-03 | Varian S.P.A. | Oil rotary vacuum pump and manufacturing method thereof |
US7051751B2 (en) * | 2003-12-05 | 2006-05-30 | Pressure Spcacialist, Inc. | Burst disk assembly |
US20060169548A1 (en) * | 2002-12-20 | 2006-08-03 | Aktiebolaget Skf | Electro-mechanical screw actuator assembly |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE7321686U (en) * | 1974-11-28 | Wiki Maschinenbau Gmbh | Space membrane | |
FR1513481A (en) | 1967-01-02 | 1968-02-16 | Michelin & Cie | Overpressure protection device |
DE7634997U1 (en) | 1976-11-04 | 1977-04-14 | A. Werner Gmbh & Co Spezialfabrik Fuer Feuerloeschtechnik, 5414 Vallendar | BURST DISC DEVICE FOR PRESSURE TANK |
DE2854171A1 (en) | 1978-12-15 | 1980-07-03 | Vaw Ver Aluminium Werke Ag | Pressure vessel bursting disc - has aluminium alloy disc secured by circlip |
JP4274874B2 (en) | 2003-07-30 | 2009-06-10 | キヤノンアネルバ株式会社 | Pressure protector |
-
2007
- 2007-07-30 EP EP07425484A patent/EP2020508A1/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2008
- 2008-07-29 JP JP2008194841A patent/JP2009030610A/en active Pending
- 2008-07-30 US US12/182,390 patent/US20090035157A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2922833A (en) * | 1955-02-28 | 1960-01-26 | Accumulatoren Fabrik Ag Fa | Pressure responsive safety device |
US4146047A (en) * | 1975-09-12 | 1979-03-27 | Black, Sivals & Bryson, Inc. | Integral fluid pressure rupturable apparatus |
US4102469A (en) * | 1977-05-23 | 1978-07-25 | Continental Disc Corporation | Protected molded rupture disc |
US6019585A (en) * | 1995-07-19 | 2000-02-01 | Leybold Vakuum Gmbh | Oil-sealed vane-type rotary vacuum pump with oil feed |
US5785078A (en) * | 1997-02-21 | 1998-07-28 | Salco Products, Inc. | Safety vent housing |
US6178759B1 (en) * | 1999-08-30 | 2001-01-30 | Mark B. Key | Rupture disk |
US6955182B2 (en) * | 2002-01-16 | 2005-10-18 | Siimes Thomas S | Tamper proof relief valve for gas cylinder |
US20060169548A1 (en) * | 2002-12-20 | 2006-08-03 | Aktiebolaget Skf | Electro-mechanical screw actuator assembly |
US20050081740A1 (en) * | 2003-09-23 | 2005-04-21 | Richard Lissa | Transportation subassembly for materials destabilized in presence of destabilizing contaminants |
US7051751B2 (en) * | 2003-12-05 | 2006-05-30 | Pressure Spcacialist, Inc. | Burst disk assembly |
US20050244286A1 (en) * | 2004-04-30 | 2005-11-03 | Varian S.P.A. | Oil rotary vacuum pump and manufacturing method thereof |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11187337B2 (en) * | 2019-09-27 | 2021-11-30 | Goodrich Corporation | Rupture disk |
US20210372418A1 (en) * | 2020-05-27 | 2021-12-02 | Timothy A. Dedrick | Water pump drain plug system |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP2020508A1 (en) | 2009-02-04 |
JP2009030610A (en) | 2009-02-12 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US9518473B2 (en) | Shaft seal insert | |
JP3874300B2 (en) | Vane pump | |
JP5608685B2 (en) | pump | |
US4669263A (en) | High-speed generator for a gas turbine engine | |
US20120308424A1 (en) | Sealing device, and pump device using same | |
US20180187793A1 (en) | Displacement control valve | |
US9303655B2 (en) | Seal for a high-pressure turbomachine | |
JPH0988864A (en) | Structure of double body type high pressure multistage pump | |
KR102308039B1 (en) | Pump | |
JP2011111912A (en) | Vane pump and evaporative leak check system having the same | |
JP5447149B2 (en) | Vane pump | |
CN1854530B (en) | A sealing arrangement for the attachment of a side plate of a centrifugal pump and an attachment screw used therewith | |
US20090035157A1 (en) | Vacuum pump incorporating safety device and manufacturing method thereof | |
US8057193B2 (en) | Screw compressor comprising a relief valve | |
US9353762B2 (en) | Pressure compensating wet seal chamber | |
US20050051218A1 (en) | Relief valve | |
JP5405884B2 (en) | Turbomachine barrel type casing and head cover mounting structure | |
KR101829934B1 (en) | Bellows backup chamber | |
KR102499490B1 (en) | Vacuum release device for pump | |
CN107850079B (en) | Pump and method of operating the same | |
KR100950847B1 (en) | A rear containment shell device of magenet pump | |
EP2447580A2 (en) | Automatic bleed valve assembly | |
US7074014B2 (en) | Dipping type pump where discharging performance at a time of actuation has been improved | |
US9970429B2 (en) | Diaphragm pump | |
US9347458B2 (en) | Pressure compensating wet seal chamber |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES ITALIA SPA, COLORADO Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:PERROTTA, JONATAN;CARBONERI, ROBERTO;REEL/FRAME:026419/0804 Effective date: 20110608 |
|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC., CALIFORNIA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES ITALIA S.P.A.;REEL/FRAME:027922/0941 Effective date: 20120201 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |