Air Leak Rate

Leak tightness is a significant factor when sizing vacuum pumps. Measure air leakage according to BS
363611 (reproduced in Appendix E). Use this formula to estimate air leakage10:

L = 0.07V∆P (2.2.3-1)

where:

L = leak rate, (kg/h)

V = total volume of the system to be evacuated, including

pipes, receivers, etc., (m3)

∆P = pressure rise, (mbar/min)

= 2 to 3 mbar/min for existing plants

= 0.75 to 1.5 mbar/min for new plants

The American Heat Exchange Institute has developed standards and charts for air leakage into
commercially tight systems9,10. Their chart is represented by the equation

L = kV 2 / 3 (2.2.3-2)

where the coefficient k is a function of pressure as follows:

Pressure (Torr) >90 20-30 3-20 1-3 <1

k 0.947 0.713 0.403 0.248 0.124

Eqn. (2.2.3-1) generally predicts less air leakage than eqn. (2.2.3-2) for a given system. Other
correlations exist in the literature6. You can also use Fig. 2.2.3-1 to estimate air leakage10.
 Figure 2.2.3-1. Air leak rate as a function of system volume and type of seal and joints.

Measure air leak rates or use empirical correlations or graphs.