Körting Hannover GmbH has designed and built a fully automatic hybrid vacuum system (HVS) as a ready-to-use, compact unit on a base frame for a chemical group with global operations. The unit is a three-level vacuum system and comprises two directly consecutive steam jet ejectors (DVP), one intermediate condenser and a liquid ring vacuum pump unit (FRVP unit) with double-acting mechanical sealing and the required sealing liquid system.

Guarantees a constant vacuum, even with varying suction power

During the entire course of the project, Körting once again found itself reaping the benefits of combining all significantly involved departments, from Development, Engineering and Process Planning to Electrical Engineering and Production, at one location in Hanover, thereby enabling a goal-oriented collaboration with short communication paths. The Project Managers report on the challenges: “One demand stemming from the customer side was to develop a fully automated HVS that guarantees a constant vacuum, even with varying suction power, and saves operating power, or motive steam, at reduced suction power.” The team was able to achieve this task through continuous measurement and control of the actual process conditions. If the current suction mass flow is less than the design specification, on multi-level vacuum systems it is possible to completely switch off individual levels. As a result less steam is used and less waste water produced. Depending on the measured suction pressure, the HVS independently detects how many of the three installed system levels have to be in operation to maintain the required vacuum.

Technical refinement detects and avoids damage

The design basis was defined by the customer. If the process conditions deviate from the design point, the control takes over and the individual levels are activated or deactivated. Thanks to the clear user interface, necessary adjustments can be made by the customer personally on-site. In single-level operation when only the FRVP unit is active, suction pressure control can be used to steplessly set the required vacuum up to the cavitation limit and hold it constant. In two and three-level operation, the fully automated Körting system follows the characteristics of the respective steam jet vacuum ejector. Design, production, assembly, pipework, wiring, routing of pneumatic lines and insulation were implemented from one source at Körting, which is how such a compact design was even possible. As the responsible project engineer emphasized, “even the programming was performed internally by us and, thanks to the final functional test, we were able to ensure that the installed parts are exactly coordinated with each other, enabling reliable, failure-free operation.” Another technical refinement is the monitoring of critical limit values for this vacuum system: “This plant presents the opportunity for Körting to perform remote maintenance. The highest priority is naturally preventing injury, but negative influences on the customer’s process and damage to the HVS can also be detected in a timely fashion and avoided. We thus increase the plant availability and service life.”

Both Project Management engineers are extremely pleased with the implementation: “The individual components are perfectly tuned to one another. The reliable operation and reduction in motive steam were executed as planned in this compact unit. The entire project team did a great job.”

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