IBM required a round-the-clock production schedule to meet demand
CHALLENGES
Oil-sealed vacuum system was 10 years old
Running a 24/7 schedule, the old system was unreliable
The system required high maintenance with frequent filter changes
Operating costs were high
Other technologies tried, including oil-flooded siding vane systems, also required unacceptably high maintenance and operating costs
The company wanted a highly reliable, low-maintenance system that could work with a close differential-only one-half inch mercury between high and low set points
SOLUTIONS
AES analyzed IBM's system parameters
We selected a stainless steel full-recovery, water-sealed liquid ring vacuum system
To maintain vacuum level within the 1 1/2 inch HG differential requirement, AES used a PLC-based transducer sensing control panel equipped with a digital alpha numeric keypad
With this solution, vacuum system parameters can be field adjusted and monitored via an RS232C communication port
BENEFITS
We installed the system in 1997 and it has performed flawlessly 24/7
Maintenance and operating costs decreased significantly
IBM was so pleased with the first system that they have purchased four additional systems
The most recent system was installed at the IBM Almaden Research Center in January 2002
