Columbia Air Compressors

Other Details

A vacuum pump converts the mechanical input energy of a rotary shaft into pneumatic energy by evacuating air contained in a system. The internal pressure level thus becomes lower than that of the external atmosphere. The amount of energy produced depends on the evacuated volume and the pressure difference produced.

Mechanical vacuum pumps use the same pumping mechanism as air compressors except that the unit is installed so that the air is drawn from a closed volume and exhausted in the atmosphere. A major difference between a vacuum pump and other types of pumps is that the air pressure in the pump is below atmospheric pressure and becomes smaller and lower at higher suction levels. Other differences between air compressors and vacuum pumps are as follows:

The maximum pressure difference produced by the action of the pump can never exceed 29.92 inches of Hg (14.7 psi), as this represents a perfect vacuum.The mass of air sucked into the pump at each suction stroke, and thus the absolute pressure change, decreases as the vacuum level increases.