Project Overview

In late 2025, we were contacted by a large iron ore processing plant in Hebei that was expanding its production capacity with a new disc filter system for dewatering. Their existing vacuum setup had been running for years, but with the new line coming online, the problems they had been tolerating could no longer be carried forward.

The existing vacuum system consisted of:

• 2 × Water Ring Vacuum Pumps (2BEC-42)
• Total installed power: 400 kW
• Required operating vacuum: -70 kPa

Client Challenges

Our initial site assessment identified four issues that had been compounding over time:

• Unstable vacuum: Levels fluctuated between -40 kPa and -60 kPa, well below the required -70 kPa. Filter cake moisture exceeded 22%, creating inconsistency in downstream processing.
• High energy consumption: Two pumps running in parallel at a combined 400 kW for a system that should have required far less.
• High water consumption: Continuous water circulation was required, adding treatment costs on top of raw usage.
• Escalating maintenance costs: Impellers and distributors needed replacement every 3 months. The water circuit added regular descaling and chemical treatment on top of that.

With stricter uptime requirements tied to the new disc filter line — continuous runs of up to 168 hours, annual availability of ≥ 8,000 hours, and planned downtime capped at ≤ 24 hours per year — a patch job wasn’t an option. The system needed to be replaced.

We proposed replacing both water ring pumps with a single SDRV-250 dry twin screw vacuum pump (250 kW). The case for dry screw technology came directly from the site conditions: the process generates atomized tin-acid gases that degrade water ring systems over time, the client needed extended continuous runs with minimal intervention, and they wanted to eliminate water treatment overhead entirely.

This wasn’t a straight equipment swap. We integrated a filtration buffer tank upstream of the pump to handle particulate carry-over — a real concern in this environment. It keeps the working chamber clean, protects the rotors, and the filter media is removable and reusable with quarterly cleaning. We also configured internal water injection within the compression chamber to control rotor temperature during extended runs and suppress tin-acid gas concentration buildup.

Key system specifications:

• Stable vacuum at -70 kPa ± 1 kPa
• Continuous operation of 168 hours with 2-hour refilling intervals
• Annual availability of ≥ 8,000 hours, planned maintenance ≤ 24 hours per year
• Zero water consumption — circulating water system fully eliminated

Implementation

The project ran in three phases. In December 2025, we completed an on-site assessment of operating conditions and finalized equipment selection and installation planning. Manufacturing and delivery were completed within one month, with equipment on-site by February 2026. Installation — covering the pump, piping connections, and electrical setup — was completed in 3 days in March 2026, followed by a 72-hour continuous operation test.