Vacuum installation for industrial vacuum processes

A vacuum installation for industrial application, the installation comprising:

• a first vessel having a first gas inlet for allowing a quantity of a gaseous substance into the first vessel and a first outlet for depletion of a material,
• a second vessel having a second inlet for aspirating a quantity of material and a second gas outlet for depletion of the gaseous substance, wherein the gaseous substance comprises a vapour generated from the material,
• a storage chamber for storing the quantity of material, the storage chamber having a storage chamber inlet, wherein at least the first vessel communicates with an interior of the storage chamber via the first outlet and the storage chamber inlet, and
• a vacuum pump located in between the first vessel and the second vessel, and operable to lower the pressure in the second vessel, thereby allowing the material to be sucked into the second vessel via the second inlet to an equilibrium level between the material and the gaseous substance, the vacuum pump being further operable to transport the gaseous substance to the first vessel to raise the pressure in the first vessel, thereby forcing the material in the first vessel through the first outlet into the storage chamber, wherein a storage chamber outlet of the storage chamber is provided at a top side of the storage chamber for emitting the gaseous substance from the storage chamber;
• and
• wherein the storage chamber outlet is in fluid communication with an air pollution control device for cleaning the emitted gaseous substance from the storage chamber.

A method of operating a vacuum installation for industrial application to aspirate a quantity of material, the vacuum installation comprising:

• a first vessel having a first gas inlet for allowing a quantity of a gaseous substance into the first vessel and a first outlet for depletion of a material,
• a second vessel having a second liquid inlet for aspirating a quantity of the material and a second gas outlet for depletion of the gaseous substance, wherein the gaseous substance comprises a vapour generated from the material,
• a storage chamber for storing the quantity of material, the storage chamber having a storage chamber inlet, wherein at least the first vessel communicates with an interior of the storage chamber via the first outlet and the storage chamber inlet and wherein the storage chamber is provided with a storage chamber outlet in fluid communication with an air pollution control device, and
• a vacuum pump located in between the first vessel and the second vessel, wherein the method comprises:
• (i) operating the vacuum pump to lower the pressure in the second vessel, thereby sucking the material into the second vessel via the second inlet to an equilibrium level between the material and the gaseous substance,
• (ii) transporting the gaseous substance to the first vessel to raise the pressure in the first vessel, thereby forcing the material in the first vessel through the first outlet into the storage chamber;
• and emitting the gaseous substance from the storage chamber, including cleaning the gaseous substance emitted from the storage chamber by forcing the gaseous substance through the air pollution control device before final emission to an exterior.