How to Stop a Vacuum Pump

Modified on Sunday, 01 February 2015 06:07 PM by mpieler — Categorized as: Extrusion Hints

How to stop a vacuum pump
Vol.20 #2, July 1993

Sure you push the stop button ... and, in case of liquid ring vacuum pumps, steam and water comes pouring out of the extruder vent stack: The remaining vacuum in the pipes and vent dome is typically strong enough to pull the sealing liquid (mostly water) upstream into the extruder. As a consequence, the melt freezes immediately and steam leakage can cause a potential for injury.

A bleeding valve installed right at the vent dome can be used to break the vacuum, before the pump is stopped, and the problem of back flushing is prevented.

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