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3 Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps and Liquid Ring Compressors

3.14.3

Operation with closed circulation (circulating liquid operation)

In this mode of operation, the total operating liquid separated from gas or vapor by
the liquid separator is led back into the pump while a heat exchanger provides for
the indirect and constant cooling of the operating liquid. Via heat exchanger all
accruing heat is removed from the system. In the heat exchanger, the operating liquid is usually led around the pipes. The flow resistance on the operating liquid side
should be as low as possible, usually however max. 20 % of the available pressure
difference between suction port and discharge port of the vacuum pump. In the
case of higher flow losses, a circulation pump can be installed in order to overcome
the pressure in the operating liquid circulation.
When dry gases are pumped it is possible that the dynamic liquid loss caused by
the gas flow must be fed to the system again. If owing to the compression of condensable vapors condensate occurs it can be discharged at the overflow of the separator. The separator is also designed as separating vessel in case of operating liquid
and condensate being different substances. Then the condensate will be discharged
separately from the operating liquid. In order to avoid concentration or contamination in the circulation of the operating liquid caused by possible chemical reactions,
pure operating liquid can be continuously fed to the pump or to the separator. The
supply of fresh liquid can also occur via nozzles on the suction side (see section
5.3.3). A liquid quantity corresponding to the quantity of the pure operating liquid
supplied leaves the system by the overflow of the separator. The special feature of
this method is that the sucked gases and vapors as well as the operating liquid do
not come into contact with the cooling medium of the heat exchanger. Therefore,
the question of how to dispose the cooling medium does not occur. Due to the isothermal compression at low gas temperatures, the gases or vapors discharged into
the atmosphere are loaded with only little masses of noxious substances. The installation of an immission cooler on the pressure side of the pump which is operated at
low temperatures enables the adherence to the legally admissible emission values
even at the discharge side of the pump. The closed circulation mode is applied in
the chemical industry and in cases where higher demands on leak tightness and
environmental protection must be fulfilled.
Fig. 3-55 shows the basic mode for the operation with closed circulation [3.14].
Further examples of plants with circulating liquid operation are given in fig. 3-56
and 3-57.
Fig. 3-58 depicts the design of a system with Booster pump.

3.14 Operating modes, supply of operating liquid

Figure 3-55

Principle scheme for operation with closed liquid circulation

Figure 3-56.

Operation method with return circulation (all pump sizes)

Figure 3-57.

Operation method with return circulation (package unit)

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3 Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps and Liquid Ring Compressors

Figure 3-58.

Scheme of operation with return circulation and with circulation pump

3.15

Materials for liquid ring machines

The liquid ring pumps belong to the more robust machines with hardly any parts
inside the pump that glide on each other. This allows practically any material to be
used for manufacturing that is customary in mechanical and process engineering.
For liquid ring machines, the kind of the operating liquid must be chosen according
to the kind of gas to be pumped. Besides water, oils, acids, lye, hydrocarbons, etc.
are used as ring liquid. The materials to be used have to be determined according to
the gases to be pumped and the operating liquid applied. Usually, corrosion resistance is of major importance when choosing the appropriate material. Economic
aspects such as operation costs, purchasing costs, possibilities and costs of repair
work, replacement possibilities, interchangeability, thermal resistance and mechanical characteristics must be taken into consideration, too. Liquid ring machines can
be manufactured of grey cast, ductile casts iron, cast steel, chemically resistant chromium-nickel steels, high nickel alloys, titanium, bronze, polypropylene, PVDF,
Noryl (PPO), Ryton (PPS), ceramics and stoneware. Combinations of the different
materials are possible as well. Components of these pumps are also available with
coatings of hard rubber, plastic, enamel or special lacquers for the protection against
corrosion and erosion. For machines usually used in vacuum technology, this variety
of designs with different materials only exists with liquid ring pumps and gas-/
vapor jet pumps. For this reason, they belong to the most frequently used pumps of
the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries.
Table 3-2 gives an overview of some components and their standard material
design of a single-stage liquid ring vacuum pump with a canned motor according to
figure 3-59.