Abstract
In the fight against global warming and rising greenhouse gas concentrations, the European Commission established the European Directive 2005/32/EC to regulate CO2 emissions. This directive, along with several amendments, outlines eco-design requirements for energy-using products, emphasizing increased efficiencies. As a result, new standards and norms have been developed and updated, which must now be considered in new product engineering projects. Additionally, energy costs are continually rising and are expected to keep increasing in the future. Given these factors, the design of modern furnaces has evolved significantly. Newly designed vacuum furnaces are much more efficient than older models. Consequently, vacuum pumps and pump systems must also be designed to support these energy-saving efforts. While the primary priority for vacuum pumps and systems remains to reliably provide the required vacuum level and ensure trouble-free operation, energy-saving measures must not compromise furnace uptime. This presentation will demonstrate that modern vacuum solutions, including dry-compressing screw-type vacuum pumps and innovative blower designs, can help achieve energy-saving goals. It will also describe measures taken with conventional vacuum components, such as rotary-vane pumps and diffusion pumps, to meet the new energy-saving requirements.
