Edwards launches a rare gas recovery and recirculation variant to its nxds dry vacuum pumps

Published: 21-Jan-2014

Non-gas ballast variant nXDS-R suitable for rare or critical gases

Edwards Limited, a leading manufacturer of sophisticated vacuum products and abatement systems and a global provider of related value-added services, has launched a special variant to its nXDS range of dry scroll vacuum pumps, which is ideally suited to pumping rare or critical gases.

nXDS dry scroll pumps are free of lubrication in the entire pumped path of the gas. The special variant nXDS-R is optimised for situations where an application demands the pumping or recirculation of rare or critical gases without the risk of accidental introduction of atmospheric air. For example, as helium becomes a scarcer and increasingly expensive resource, there is more desire to recover and re-use it. By removing the gas ballast feature, which is significant for applications where condensable vapour removal is important, this creates a hermetically sealed pump from inlet to outlet with no moving seals and no possibility of accidental introduction of atmospheric air.

David Steele, Market Sector Manager at Edwards, commented: 'This nXDS-R variant eliminates the need for a gas ballast fitting and so is ideal for applications where it is critical that there is no accidental contamination of the gas the vacuum pump is handling, such as applications which require the pumping or recirculating of helium, sulphur hexafluoride, xenon and other rare or expensive gases.'

The advanced technology guarantees vacuum integrity for the customer

The advanced technology guarantees vacuum integrity for the customer. The pump is lubricant free and hermetically sealed so it provides a totally clean and dry vacuum. The bearings are isolated by the bellows, so that all the pump’s bearings are totally outside of the vacuum and pumped gas path.

The pump offers a low cost of ownership due to its long service interval (up to five years for the first service, depending on application), and it is quickly and easily serviced without complex or expensive speciality tooling.

The pump also features intelligent and easy to control functions with simple operation. Full serial communications mode provides feedback about the state of the pump, enabling scientists to optimise their process and schedule routine maintenance conveniently. It also assists with preventative maintenance regimes, as the nXDS pump indicates when service is needed via a light indicator on the control panel.

nXDS-R is incredibly easy to install and run. It is a simple ‘fit and forget’ pump which provides excellent performance for many years. It has low acoustic noise of only 52 dB(A) and is extremely quiet in the laboratory – up to 20 times quieter than some comparable pumps.

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