Vacuum degassers work by creating lower pressure inside a vessel so air or other gaseous impurities can be removed from a substance, such as water or even molten steel. The air is siphoned from the vessel after pressure is lowered enough to force the gas from the substance. A high-vacuum process environment is maintained for a variety of product testing and laboratory applications. This allows the user to analyze products or materials under a wide range of conditions and under predetermined atmospheric or environmental parameters. Some of the conditions that can be controlled by vacuum degassers include pressure and humidity, temperature, altitude simulation, electromagnetic radiation, microwave radiation, specific gravity, density and vapor pressure.
Manufacturing issues such as leakage and product integrity can be tested and corrected through the use of vacuum degassers. Other conditions, such as acoustic and gaseous emissions, can be controlled. Some testing processes include total mass loss, total mass flux and helium leak detection.
Commercial uses
Vacuum degassers are used in some water treatment operations to significantly reduce the total gas pressure in water containment vessels. The vacuum is created by using either a blower or pump, and the degasser containment vessel is constructed from several materials, including steel, fiberglass and aluminum. Some containment vessels are built from concrete reinforced with metal fittings. Aqua vacuum degassers are often used to remove sulfur gases that can build up in water.
Agricultural Uses
In the agricultural industry, vacuum degassers are used as a way of purifying soil. Soil and water are drawn into the containment vessel by using a vacuum pump. The pump maintains a constant vacuum level inside the containment vessel, then centrifugal force is applied to the containment vessel. This disperses the soil and water in thin layers in order to maximize its exposure to the vacuum. As the soil and water are spun, the vacuum forces gases to be broken out where they are discharged from a blower and released into the atmosphere. The vacuum degasser removes all contaminants from the water and sends the cleaned water back into the soil.
Farms should perform this process to prevent soil from becoming contaminated and, in turn, causing infections through the consumption of the crop.
Testing
Many testing facilities use vacuum degassers for their operations. These vacuum degassers provide quick flushing of gases from test samples, as well as purging and priming of samples at a low volume. In these vacuum degassing units, the degassing principle works by passing a solvent through a membrane tube that can be penetrated by gases but not by liquids. Constant vacuum pressure is maintained throughout the gas removal process, and it works with a variety of solvents at differing flow rates.
Other uses
Vacuum degassers are used in a variety of applications. Small kit vacuum degassers made from polypropylene and polycarbonate materials can maintain vacuum pressure for up to 24 hours and can be used with a vacuum control manifold to allow for fingertip control of vacuum pressure.
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