FUNDAMENTALS

The performance of any vacuum air system is based on two factors: the flow volume measured in cfm (Lpm) and the maximum vacuum maintained in the system. For most vacuum systems to function, air becomes the transporting medium for any gas or suspended solids, and the pressure provides the energy for transportation. These two essential factors operate in inverse proportion as the airflow increases, the vacuum pressure decreases. The various systems must be designed to produce specific vacuum pressure and airflow levels that have been determined, often by experience and experimentation, to be most effective in performing their respective tasks. The exception is where vacuum pressure is intended to produce a force used to lift objects or simply to evacuate an enclosed space. For these uses, airflow is only a function of how long it takes the system to achieve its ultimate vacuum pressure.