We are pleased to present a recording of our webinar 'Introduction to Disc Pump', the first in a new series of short form webinars we will be running throughout the year.
This webinar is hosted by our CCO Tom Harrison and provides an overview of Disc Pump technology from TTP Ventus, as well as current in-market application examples. You can find a full recording of the webinar below, with a reminder of the agenda and answers to all submitted questions from the webinar.
Agenda:
· What is Disc Pump?
· How does it work?
· Features & Benefits
· Demonstration
· Applications (inc. Life Sciences & Medical Devices)
· Technical Support
· Q&A
Information
If you are looking for technical support, all resources mentioned in this webinar can be found here.
If you are interested in testing Disc Pump for yourself, our Evaluation Kit is the best place to start. Learn more and request a quotation.
Our technical support team are available to provide application support, and can advice on the system as well as the pump. If you want to contact us directly, please get in touch at support@ttpventus.com.
How durable are the pumps when exposed to high shock i.e. being dropped whilst in inside a casing?
Quite durable - the pump only weighs around 5 grams, so the deceleration forces it sees on shock impact (from a fall, for example) when dropped from 1-2m are quite low. Inside the pump there isn't anything fragile enough to break under those forces.
Up to what pressure can an individual pump hold? What’s the maximum pressure a system can produce?
The test we have done shows that if you subject pumps to a pressure of approx 1.5bar, for periods longer than 30 minutes, and at elevated temperate (40C / 100F) then eventually they will fail - so you would want to be within that window. Pressure, time and temperature are all accelerating factors, so if any one of those increases, the time to failure may reduce.
Which variant can deliver more than 4 L/min air flow?
Sadly, no variant can deliver more than 4 L/min air flow. However, pumps can be ganged together - our highest flow rate pump can deliver around 2 L/min and you can put two of those together to deliver 4 L/min air flow.
What is the maximum operating temperature?
It varies by the product range - the BL series max operating temperature is 40 C, the XP series is 55 C. It's not just about the environmental temperature, but the heat the pump generates during operation. For example - a pump being run more gently and therefore generating less heat could be run in a higher ambient temperature and still be fine. The 40 C and 55 C figures are the limits when the pump is running at its maximum rated power (and therefore generating the most heat).
What is the power consumption?
Maximum continuous power rating is 1 W. Some models can be driven intermittently in bursts up to 1.4 W.
What is the range of fluid viscosity the pump can handle?
The pump doesn't work on the fluid directly, but instead we move it via air pressure. It comes down to a combination of fluid viscosity, surface tension, and the geometry of the fluid flow path we are trying to drive it through. Smaller cross sectional area flow paths and longer flow paths will be harder to drive down compared to shorter, wider flow paths.
How resistant is the pump to dust in air monitoring applications?
You should operate the pump with a filter, and we recommend using a pore size of 3 microns or less to maximise the life of the pump. For air monitoring applications, our customers include an inline filter.
Where can you download the software?
You can download it on our website here.
When putting pumps in parallel, do they need to be driven out of phase with each other?
This isn't something that we have found the need to do.
Is it possible to exceed the 600 mbar max. peak pressure with your pumps?
The specification for the HP pump at 1W is 600mbar. Whilst higher pressures can be achieved by driving intermittently at higher powers, this is not something we advise for the HP pump and this will negatively impact the lifetime and the pump. A preferred solution is to use multiple pumps ganged together in Series to provide higher pressures.
What limits the work beyond this pressure?
As described above, driving the pump above the limit will negatively impact the pump lifetime.
Can we generate a vacuum with your pumps?
Yes - with all models excecpt the UltraSlim, which doesn't have a convenient port to connect to the vacuum side of the pump.
Is there a creep in the pump performance in continuous operation over time?
Our Technical Note TN005: Disc Pump Operational Wear has further information on this, and is available on request.
Request a copy of TN005: Disc Pump™ Operational Wear
What is the pulsation range for microfluidics flow?
Because the pump operates at such a high frequency, there is no detectable air pressure pulsation at the pump outlet, and so when the pump is used for pressure-driven flow in microfluidics, there is no evidence of any pump-induced pulsatility.
Is Disc Pump resistant against acetone?
The pump doesn't work on fluid directly, but instead we move it via air pressure, so it should not come in direct contact with the chemicals. Some of the components may be susceptible to solvent vapour, and there is always the risk the vapour condenses inside the pump which could stop the pump from working.
For the volumetric displacement mode, e.g. the pipettor example - do you have a drawing of how to instantiate this in practice?
You can find a schematic and further information in our blog post here.
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