Mechanical Booster Pumps

Mechanical boosters are used to remove large quantities of gas from a vacuum system, typically in the pressure region between 0.001 and 1 millibar.

The booster is a “Roots” mechanism; invented by Elihu Root in Europe almost 150 years ago. It is basically two rotors or impellors having a figure of eight cross section, mounted on separate shafts, that rotate in opposite directions within a pump housing. There are fine clearances between each of the rotors and between the rotors and the housing surface. The rotors are held in synchronisation by timing gears in a gearbox that is sealed from the pumping chamber.

The mechanical booster inlet port is connected to the process inlet and the exhaust port is connected to the inlet of a mechanical “backing” pump; such as a rotary vane pump. The booster is not able to safely exhaust to atmosphere, as pressure differential across the booster must be limited for thermal reasons. Therefore, the exhaust gas is pumped to atmosphere via the backing pump.

AVT represents Edwards Ltd; a global leader in vacuum pump technology. Edwards manufactures and supplies a comprehensive range of mechanical boosters that can be used in industrial, process and scientific research vacuum systems.

AVT can supply a wide range of mechanical booster pumps. Contact us and let us know your requirements.