Turbo Pump Controllers

Turbo Pump Controllers

Vacuum pumps are used in a wide range of scientific and industrial applications around the globe. They're used to generate vacuum for situations that call for high or ultra-high vacuum, although they are built for varying compression and vacuum rates.

Turbo pumps in particular are quite popular because they produce high vacuums that are devoid of any molecule-related impurities.

What are Turbo Pump Controllers?

It is important to know what a turbo pump is before learning about its controller. A turbo pump is a type of vacuum pump that is used to achieve and sustain a high vacuum. It operates under the premise that repeated collisions with a moving solid surface can impart momentum to gas molecules in a chosen direction.

To establish or maintain a vacuum, a turbomolecular pump uses a turbine rotor that spins quickly to "strike" gas molecules moving from the pump's inlet toward its exhaust. Through its working mechanism, a turbo pump produces a high-pressure fluid to feed a combustion chamber, or for other uses.

The turbo pump controller is a device that monitors and controls the speed and adjusts the pump as necessary to keep levels where they should be. Pump control can range from basic on/off switches, to more complex controls for monitoring vacuum level and controlling ancillary items like fans, vent valves, and more.

The pump and controller are connected by a cable, or male/female connectors that come on the body of each component. There are small compact rack remote-controlled controllers or onboard controllers.

Controllers typically have an easy-to-use user interface with large, clear graphics. This enables complete remote control and data logging capabilities through PC software running on Windows.

How do Turbo Pump Controllers Work?

As mentioned before, understanding the dynamics of the pump helps understand how the controller works. That said, a turbo pump's operation is a marvel of science. Even while the nitty-gritty can be incredibly challenging to understand, once broken down, the procedure is actually rather straightforward.

Every turbomolecular pump has a turbine-style rotor as its primary element. The rotor turns at a high speed to move air molecules toward the exhaust. It is standard procedure to initially establish a low vacuum with another vacuum pump before switching to the turbo pump to complete the process.

The rotor assembly consists of two parts, the rotor and stator blades.  The rotor rotates which assists to draw in the nearby air molecules, and as they are spinning, they are given kinetic momentum. The rotors' motion and shape are intended to accelerate the air molecules that propel them outward. The stators are involved in the second phase.

To capture the moving air molecules, the stators are placed close to the rotors. The stators are designed to direct molecules to the following stage of rotors by directing them downward. This process is repeated until it reaches its conclusion when the air molecules are eventually thrown into the exhaust.

Where do the controllers come in? Think of them as the brain behind everything. With simple software, they allow the operator to feed in the variables and control the working mechanism of the pump. Bear in mind that every turbo pump requires a rotor that is powered and controlled.

Depending on the turbo pump's design, this is accomplished using electrical drives that are either built into the turbo pump, or function as a separate unit. This unit is what we refer to as the controller. Controllers run the motor's starting phase as well as the required drive power after the target rotation speed has been reached.

Depending on the specific controller, other accessories may be added to the unit to control operations such as:

• On/Off
• Display: rotation speed, power consumption, & the operating modes for various gasses
• Optional rotation speed
• Venting valve control
• Heating and air cooling control
• Backing pump control
• Pre-selection stand-by rotation speed
• Operating hours
• Backing pump intermittent operations
• Remote control etc.
  

What are the Different Types of Turbo Pump Controllers?

There are two major types of turbo pump controllers: onboard and rack-mounted. If you have any questions about turbo pumps or turbo pump controllers, give us a call and we’ll be happy to help!

We carry turbo pump controllers from the following brands: Agilent, Alcatel, Ebara, Edwards, Leybold-Oerlikon, Osaka, Pfeiffer, Seiko Seiki, Shimadzu, Varian