As summer temperatures rise, ensuring vacuum pumps remain cool is essential to maintaining their performance and longevity. Most vacuum pumps are designed to operate in ambient temperatures up to 40°C. When this threshold is exceeded, overheating can occur, leading to rapid oil degradation, increased maintenance requirements, equipment failures, and costly production downtime.

In high-temperature environments, the oil within a vacuum pump breaks down more quickly, meaning more frequent oil changes are necessary, which drives up operating costs. If temperatures within the plant room climb beyond the design limit, pumps may overheat and fail, interrupting processes and potentially incurring expensive repairs.

Proper plant room ventilation is critical in preventing such issues. Natural ventilation—relying on vents and louvres—is often insufficient, especially during warmer weather, unless large portions of walls are vented. In confined plant rooms, forced ventilation using fans is often required to maintain acceptable temperatures. As ambient temperatures increase, the frequency of air changes must also rise. For instance, in a plant room measuring 8m x 4m with 25kW of heat output, up to 79 air changes per hour may be required when the outside temperature is 30°C.

To calculate required airflow, a simple formula can be used: Heat emission (kW) x 200 = ventilation flow (m³/h)

Additional heat management strategies include installing exhaust piping to vent hot air outside—reducing internal heat by up to 35%—and using heat recovery systems, which can capture up to 80% of the energy to heat water. Plant room layout is also important, ensuring good air circulation and separating heat-sensitive equipment.

Managing plant room temperatures effectively extends vacuum pump life and reduces costs. With expertise in thermal management and vacuum systems, Busch offers tailored advice and solutions to meet specific operational needs.

Busch vacuum pump