Achema 2006 review
from our Exhibition Correspondent
DECHEME, the organisers of ACHEMA 2006, are hailing the show as a complete success for exhibitors and visitors alike. ACHEMA 2006 was larger and more international than any of the previous ACHEMA events. 3,880 exhibitors from 50 countries were on hand this year compared to 3,819 exhibitors from 48 countries at ACHEMA 2003. Exhibitors presented a very extensive range of system solutions, equipment, technological expertise and services for the chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical and food industries and related sectors of the material processing industry at the world's largest industry event.
Increased capacity, increased efficiency
The new NASH TC 8 two-stage liquid ring vacuum pump was unveiled by Gardner Denver Nash. The NASH TC 8, which has an overall capacity of 725 to 1200 cfm (1230 to 2040m3/hr) and vacuum to 0.8inHgA (27mbar abs), is designed to handle large amounts of liquid carryover without difficulty. It was developed to fill the capacity gap of the NASH TC/TCM series. Customers can now replace two or more of their smaller model TCs with one of the more efficient, larger NASH TC 8 models.
The O-ring option of the NASH TC 8 makes it the right choice for the chemical process industry. This feature benefits customers by providing an optimum seal to meet their specifications. Another feature making the NASH TC 8 a good match for the industry is its availability in either ductile iron or stainless steel. In the harsh environment of chemical processing, stainless steel is the material of choice.
Tuthill Vacuum & Blower Systems showed its full range of screw dry vacuum pumps. These are specially designed for chemical applications and in line with the ATEX Machinery Directive covering equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. Sizes range from 100m3/hr to 2700m3/hr. Also on the Tuthill stand was the Atlantic Fluidics range of single stage and multi stage liquid ring vacuum pumps. The pumps feature the patented Fluid-Vac axial flow technology for efficient, vibration-free operation with capacities from 15 to 500 m3/hr in the range from atmospheric pressure down to 4 mbar.
With two booths at ACHEMA, Busch presented its whole range of ATEX-certified vacuum pumps that meet the strict security policies in the chemical industry. Worldwide, Busch claims to have the broadest range of certified pumps for this market.
Busch also present several novelties, which stirred up a lot of interest with the visitors. Among these was a new range of dry vacuum pumps, developed in the research and development departments of Maulburg and Chevenez.
Busch also took the opportunity to display the products of new company Busch GVT, created after the acquisition of Graham Vacuum Technology. This new Busch company displayed vacuum pumps which are used in the oil field exploration in the off-shore branch and in the petrochemistry.
Low cost of ownership
On the BOC Edwards stand, visitors got a first look at the CDX1000 dry vacuum pump which is ideal for high speed, high capacity process applications, and features third generation double-ended screw technology for reliable operation and low cost of ownership. With a nominal pumping speed of 900m3/hr, the CDX1000 is suitable for use in chemical, pharmaceutical, metallurgy and other industrial applications. In many situations it can be used in place of two or more dry pumps for a cost-effective solution.
BOC Edwards innovative third generation screw technology employed in the CDX range features a pair of variable pitch rotors machined to exacting tolerances with no need for coatings or a compression plate at the exhaust. The double-ended design removes the issue of axial forces on bearings giving increased bearing life. This is a problem with traditional screw designs, particularly when handling liquid slugs or viscous oils and tars. Variable pitch geometry provides staged compression along the length of the screw resulting in lower running temperatures and lower process power consumption.
CDX1000 has no lubricants under vacuum. This means there is no process contamination and a reduced environmental impact, as regular replacement of contaminated oil is not required. The bearing and gearbox lubrication system is cooled and filtered with easily accessible ‘spin-on’ filters, further reducing the cost of ownership.
KNF Neuberger says visitors to Achema flocked to its stand to see the N 838.18 laboratory vacuum pump and the other latest products in its line of over 50 different pumps for laboratory applications. The N 838.18 is a small, robust pump that can pump up to 37 litres per minute and achieves an ultimate vacuum of down to 12mbar absolute. Yet is still relatively small, thanks to a unique design based on a patented structured diaphragm. As with all KNF pumps, the N 838 is engineered for laboratory use. This new pump can also be supplied with a vacuum gauge and fine-adjustment valve for specific applications.
KNF Neuberger's broad range of robust and long-lasting laboratory pumps includes products ideal for all laboratory settings and applications. The current product range covers flow rates of 5.6 to 60 litres per minute, ultimate vacuums of down to 1.5mbar absolute, and pressures as high as 7bar gauge.
ILMVAC showed no fewer than seven brand new products on its stand, including dry running scroll pumps for chemical applications. These scroll pumps may be used as single pumps for rough and fine vacuum applications or as a backing pump for turbomolecular pumps. Due to the high chemical resistance of the pumps they can be used for most chemical applications like vacuum drying, freeze drying, fine vacuum distillation, vacuum furnaces, glove boxes, general degassing processes and many others. The DRY RUN scroll pumps operate in the rough and fine vacuum range down to 7 x 10-2 mbar. The nominal pumping speed is 10 m3/h for the DRY RUN I type and approximately 15 m3/h for the DRY RUN II type. The water vapour tolerance of the pumps is 50 mbar.
Also on the stand was a new vacuum controller, developed in recognition of the fact that, in the modern laboratory, the reproducibility of processes is an increasingly important factor in the success of research and development. Quick and reliable evaporation, drying and coating processes keep scientists ahead of the field. The new VCB424 vacuum controller regulates vacuum in the range 1100 to 1 mbar and gives exact and reproducible control of process parameters. The VCB424 is simple to operate, offering instant control while the process is running, and can be programmed to offer flexible control of any vacuum source. The control menu can be tailored to show only the parameters relevant to a given application. For complete manipulation of all parameters, ILMVAC Control software can be supplied for use with any PC. This allows not only for parameter and application manipulation, but also graphical monitoring and storage of parameters.
Lederle presented its new liquid ring vacuum pump series LVP at the show. Special features of the pump series include its increased compression strength PN 10 test pressure 15 bar in standard execution, flexible material selection and high casing tightness. The range covers 10 sizes with a suction capacity of 50m<sup>3</sup>/h to 1800m3/h. All pumps are manufactured as standard in stainless steel 1.4581 and further materials from cast steel to titanium are available.
The next gathering of the ACHEMA community is AchemAsia, which will be held from May 14 - 18 2007 in Beijing, China.
