Reducing Dry Vacuum Pump Failure Caused by Acetic
Acid Vapour Carryover

Industry
Agro Chemical

Customer Concern
An agro chemical customer was facing frequent failure of a dry vacuum pump used in
a process where acetic acid vapour carryover along with condensate was entering
the vacuum system.
Due to the corrosive nature of acetic acid vapour and the presence of condensate, the
internal condition of the dry vacuum pump was getting affected. Over time, this resulted
in clearance expansion, reduced vacuum performance, and repeated pump
breakdowns.
The pump was failing approximately every 3 months, leading to frequent maintenance,
production disturbance, and increased downtime.

Problem Observed
Vovac Engineers studied the existing vacuum arrangement and identified that the main issue was not only the pump condition, but also the carryover of corrosive vapour and liquid condensate into the dry vacuum pump.

The acetic acid vapour was corrosive in nature, and when combined with condensate
carryover, it was affecting the internal clearances of the pump. This caused
performance deterioration and premature failure.

Vovac Engineers’ Solution
To protect the dry vacuum pump from direct exposure to corrosive vapour and liquid
carryover, Vovac Engineers designed and implemented a special arrangement in
the vacuum line.
The solution included:
● Liquid separator to separate and collect condensate before it reached the dry
vacuum pump
● Corrosive vapour filter to reduce the impact of acetic acid vapour on the pump
● Improved system protection to minimize process carryover entering the pump
● Preventive approach to improve pump life and reduce repeated breakdowns

Result Achieved
After the installation of the liquid separator and corrosive vapour filter arrangement, thedry vacuum pump performance improved significantly.
Earlier, the pump was failing approximately every 3 months. After the modification, thepump ran successfully for more than 14 months before being taken for scheduled
preventive maintenance.

Customer Benefit
● Reduced frequent pump breakdowns
● Improved dry vacuum pump life
● Lower maintenance frequency
● Reduced production downtime
● Better protection against corrosive vapour and condensate carryover
● Shift from breakdown maintenance to planned preventive maintenance

Key Value Delivered
Vovac Engineers helped the agro chemical customer reduce dry vacuum pump
failure by controlling acetic acid vapour and condensate carryover, increasing
pump running life from around 3 months to more than 14 months before
preventive maintenance