A vacuum cleaner, the first cleaning machine invented, is still the most widely used, right from homes, apartments and airplanes to hospitals and large industries. The users depend on vacuum cleaners to maintain a dust free and healthy environment. Along with innovations, applications of these machines are also increasing….

Vacuum cleaners come in a variety of sizes and models – small battery-operated hand-held devices, back pack vacuums, domestic central vacuum cleaners, huge stationary industrial appliances that can handle several hundred litres of dust before being emptied, and self-propelled vacuum trucks for recovery of large spills or removal of contaminated soil.

Vacuum systems can be designed to cater to the needs of the end user depending on the actual application and the environment in which they are going to be used. Ideally, these machines can be used in any environment except that there is a need to be cautious before recommending or choosing a vacuum cleaner. A case in point being flame proof vacuum cleaners for explosion prone environments and collection of material prone to static discharge in industrial areas.

Choosing the right style of vacuum cleaner often depends upon personal preferences. People who have carpeted stairs prefer a canister style, since one doesn’t have to lug the upright vacuum up the stairs. Since the cleaner portion of the vacuum is relatively light, it may be easier to use by people who tire easily, or who have physical limitations. Because of their tool based focus, canister vacuum cleaners can be a great option for cleaning stairs and hard to reach areas.

The upright cleaner is much kinder on the back muscles as the need for bending or leaning over the hose is greatly reduced. The hard surface to carpet sensor makes changing floor surfaces happen in one smooth movement. There is no need to switch floor heads halfway through the room to accommodate the different levels or move to a carpeted area as this is all done automatically. Height adjustment, on/off brush roll, and tool options are making upright vacuum cleaners useful for cleaning hard surfaces. Many of the newer designs are proven to be acceptable for asthma and allergy sufferers because of the way the air circulates inside the unit instead of blowing back into the room. Some of the new upright vacuum cleaners are bagless and hygienically sealed. Therefore, there is no need to replace bags on regular basis which makes the emptying process easier. A few newer models have life time filters too.

In a hospital, you need to use noiseless and cordless vacuum cleaners. Besides this, high efficient filtration vacuums or industrial HEPA vacuums are required to protect patients from airborne contaminants in big hospitals. Critical electronic components are often assembled in clean rooms where HEPA vacuums are used to maintain clean conditions.

In aviation factories, paints and powders are as common as in the automotive industry, making their vacuum requirements identical. Clean rooms are not uncommon in avionics production and HEPA filtered vacuums are a must here. Once they are in service, airplanes must be cleaned regularly. Small canister vacuums and backpack vacuums are great for quickly cleaning airplane interiors between flights. Oil and chemical spills also require a high quality wet vacuum.

Industrial vacuums are used extensively in food plants of all kinds for spill and product recovery in the production and packaging operations. Baking plants look for units with multi stage filtration and external filter shakers to keep them off from clogging problems.

Industrial Vacuum Cleaners

An industrial vacuum cleaner is a machine that is used to clean commercial areas, such as offices, factories, and stores. They are similar to the vacuums used in homes, but are usually of better quality and are capable of cleaning much larger areas of space faster than smaller units.

There are various ranges of large industrial vacuum cleaners. The capacity for these ranges from 5kw to 90kw, with a vacuum ranging from 30 to 75Kpa and airflow ranging from 800 to 4000m3/hr. Power requirements depend on the size of the vacuum unit and the purpose for which it is used for. There are various industrial vacuum units available in single and three phases ranging from 3kw to 75kw. The requirement of vacuum depends on many factors such as density of the material, collection rate per hour, distance from the point of collection and discharge, physical and chemical properties of the material / product, size of the material etc.

Says Puneet Mishra, Head, Forbes- Pro Clean Technology Solutions, Eureka Forbes, “Industrial vacuum units are generally being used for recovery of material. In some cases, the material collected can be recycled in the production process which is not possible in a manual operation.”

Vacuum system can also be used for transfer of heavy material from one place to another without human intervention thereby providing clean and safe work environment. They can be customized as per the needs of the customer. Says Indrabanu GRT, Senior Manager – Projects, Roots Multiclean Ltd, “The large industrial vacuums are user friendly, they are just the same as any small commercial vacuum cleaner which runs in just plug in and use mode. It does not need any skilled labour. Proper selection of the hose size, tools and filter ensures its smooth functioning for longer period of time.”

“Industrial vacuum cleaners is a value for money product as it save time, reduces man power requirement, increases the efficiency and can be customised to suit the requirement of the individual customer,” he adds.

Some of the applications of Industrial Vacuum Cleaners are recovery of grain dust from silos, extraction of liquid spills in beverage plants, recovery of chip and coolant in machining operation. Industrial vacuums are also perfect for dust recovery as their high static lift also makes them capable of recovering various liquids used in mining facilities. In some power plants, coal dust and fly ash recovery are a never ending process. Without a high quality air powered or explosion proof industrial vacuum the collection of these by products can be extremely cumbersome. Lime dust recovery is another common application where industrial vacuum cleaners are necessary. In nuclear plants, HEPA vacuums are used exclusively for radiation waste recovery.