A nameplate note like “fitted with a 20 m³/h pump” is not a selection. On the same chamber, pumping to 40 mbar or to 5 mbar, a 12-second cycle or a 25-second cycle, dry air or cooked food with broth, leads to models two sizes apart. Work through operating pressure, pumping speed and cycle, gas load, and duty pattern in that order and the choice narrows to three or four models.
1. Operating pressure: talk in absolute pressure
The most common mistake is mixing gauge and absolute pressure. A chamber at −960 mbar gauge sits at 53 mbar absolute; “40 mbar” means −973 mbar gauge. The 13 mbar difference changes the pump requirement.
Food packaging usually runs at 30–50 mbar absolute. Cooked dishes, braised food and ready meals are handled below 50 mbar, which keeps residual oxygen under about 2%. A single-stage oil-sealed vane pump covers this range: DPL-V0040A to V0100 reach 0.1 mbar with the gas ballast closed, DPL-V0155 reaches 0.3 mbar. The working point is two orders of magnitude above the ultimate pressure, so the pump delivers its full speed.
Ultimate pressure must be read together with product temperature. Water at 40 °C has a vapour pressure near 74 mbar, so once the chamber drops below 40 mbar the moisture on the product starts to boil and the pump is moving water vapour, not air.
2. Speed and cycle: back-calculate from chamber volume
Use t = V / S × ln(P₁/P₂), with V as chamber volume plus the air inside the bag, and P₁ as 1013 mbar. Multiply the result by 1.3, then combine with pipe conductance: S_eff = 1 / (1/S_pump + 1/C).
A double-chamber machine with 60 L per chamber, 40 mbar target and a 12-second window needs about 58 m³/h, or 76 m³/h with margin.
| Configuration | Pump speed | Conductance | Effective speed | Time to 40 mbar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V0063 + DN32 | 63 m³/h | 80 m³/h | 35.2 m³/h | 19.8 s |
| V0100 + DN32 | 100 m³/h | 80 m³/h | 44.4 m³/h | 15.7 s |
| V0063 + DN40 | 63 m³/h | 150 m³/h | 44.4 m³/h | 15.7 s |
| V0100 + DN40 | 100 m³/h | 150 m³/h | 60.0 m³/h | 11.6 s |
A DN32 line swallows 56% of the V0100’s speed. Sizing the pipe first is cheaper than sizing the pump up.
3. Gas load: one litre of water is 36 m³ of vapour at 40 mbar
At 40 mbar and 40 °C, 1 kg of water vapour occupies about 36 m³. A bag releasing 5 mL of broth loads the pump with 0.18 m³ of vapour. On wet product lines the load is water, not air.
Open the gas ballast: it lets vapour leave before it condenses in the oil. The cost is 15–30% of pumping speed and a worse ultimate pressure (V0155: 0.3 to 0.5 mbar). Taking 20%, a V0100 on a DN40 line drops to 80 m³/h effective and needs 13.4 s to reach 40 mbar — a 12-second cycle no longer holds, and V0155 (150 m³/h) is required. Add an inlet filter and a two-tank unit so liquid never reaches the pump chamber.
4. Duty and washdown: run/standby for continuous lines
Lines running two shifts without stopping need two pumps in parallel with automatic changeover, plus a buffer tank sized on peak demand. For continuous operation the DPL-V0100 data sheet requires the working pressure to stay below −300 mbar gauge, with ambient temperature 0–35 °C.
Where only 100 mbar is needed — suction cups, bag opening, rough pumping before gas flushing — an oil-free pump works: DPL-V16 gives 16 m³/h at 100 mbar ultimate with 0.38 kW and no oil mist. DPL-ZS150 gives 140 m³/h at 60 mbar ultimate. Real packaging chambers below 40 mbar still call for oil-sealed vane pumps; a dry claw pump at 60 mbar cannot reach that point.
Voltage and 60 Hz
Confirm site voltage and frequency before releasing the selection. At 60 Hz the V0040A–V0100 range gains about 20% speed, which shortens the cycle, but some models are not suitable for 60 Hz areas — check the configuration with the factory before ordering.