Dry-compressing screw vacuum pumps and piston compressors

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The Aerodynamic Institute of the RWTH Aachen University pursues three individual high-speed wind tunnel systems which are of fundamental importance as the majority of experimental measurements are conducted in these facilities. The intermittently operating wind tunnels are based on a vacuum storage sucking air from a settling reservoir balloon upstream of the test section. To initiate and control test runs, piston compressors are required to supply compressed-air to all control systems.The screw-type compressor evacuating the four vacuum tanks suffers from strong abrasion due to almost fifty years of constant operation. As a result, the Aerodynamic Institute cannot ensure a safe and constant operation of these facilities anymore. Furthermore, the three piston compressor supplying compressed-air to the wind tunnel control system constantly require high maintenance and repair periods due to strong abrasion yielding significant idle periods. In the medium term, all piston compressors will irreparably fail which results in a failure of all high-speed facilities of the Aerodynamic Institute.Solely the replacement of all screw-type and piston compressors ensures a constant, fail-safe and eco-friendly operation of the high-speed wind tunnel facilities of the Aerodynamic Institute, the corresponding measurement systems and all running and proposed research projects.