90 Years of Rotary Vane Evolution: TRIVAC L Two-Stage Vacuum Pump Technology Upgrade

The rotary vane vacuum pump is one of the longest-lived technologies in industrial vacuum. Leybold has manufactured the TRIVAC series for approximately 90 years — a number that speaks for itself. The new TRIVAC L two-stage rotary vane pump builds on the classic oil-sealed architecture with three critical upgrades: optimized air cooling, improved water vapor tolerance, and enhanced serviceability.

Two-Stage Compression: Rough and Fine Vacuum in One Pump

The TRIVAC L is a two-stage rotary vane pump — two compression stages in series within a single pump body. Stage one draws gas from the inlet and pre-compresses it; stage two completes the compression and exhausts to atmosphere. The two-stage design delivers: higher ultimate vacuum, lower exhaust temperature, and better tolerance for water vapor and condensable gases.

Pumping speed classes range from 5.8 to 92/110 m³/h (50/60 Hz), covering the spectrum from laboratory analytical instruments to industrial production. The TRIVAC L also serves as a backing pump for Roots, diffusion, turbomolecular, and cryogenic pumps.

Patented Three-Stage Gas Ballast: No More Fear of Moisture

What is the biggest weakness of oil-sealed rotary vane pumps? Water vapor. If the pumped gas contains significant moisture, water condenses during compression and contaminates the vacuum pump oil — leading to oil emulsification, degraded lubrication, and deteriorating ultimate vacuum.

The TRIVAC L features a patented three-stage gas ballast valve — introducing a controlled amount of ambient air during compression to lower the partial pressure of water vapor and prevent condensation inside the pumping chamber. Three-stage ballasting means finer control of ballast flow, maximizing water vapor tolerance while maintaining ultimate vacuum performance. This is critical for freeze-drying (food and pharmaceuticals), air conditioning and heat pump production lines, and analytical instruments operating in high-humidity environments.

Patented Oil Housing Design: Cooler Oil, Longer Life

The TRIVAC L’s oil housing uses a patented design that reduces operating oil temperature. Vacuum pump oil life is strongly temperature-dependent — roughly doubling for every 10°C reduction. A sight glass enables visual oil condition monitoring at any time, and a standard drain valve simplifies oil changes for applications with frequent change intervals.

Configurable Outlet Direction: Vertical or Horizontal

The TRIVAC L exhaust port can be configured for vertical or horizontal alignment — eliminating the need to route tubing around a fixed port orientation when integrating the pump into cabinets or equipment. Standard flanges on both inlet and outlet simplify system integration.

Typical Applications

• Analytical instrumentation: backing vacuum for mass spectrometers, gas chromatographs, electron microscopes
• Research and development: any laboratory equipment requiring stable medium-to-high vacuum
• Metallurgy: vacuum heat treatment, vacuum melting
• HVAC and heat pumps: evacuation and helium leak testing on production lines
• Freeze-drying: food and pharmaceutical lyophilization processes
• Semiconductor and solar: backing vacuum for coating, etching, and other thin-film processes

Full Lifecycle Service

Leybold provides comprehensive service options for the TRIVAC L series: oil and spare parts supply, on-site and in-house service, pump module exchange, certified pre-owned vacuum pumps, and pump rental. An extensive range of accessories enables optimal adaptation to the specific requirements of different applications.

Doskee Automation specializes in industrial automation and fluid control, offering Leybold, Atlas Copco, Piab, and other leading-brand vacuum pumps and vacuum system products. We help clients select the optimal vacuum solution for their specific application. For technical consultation or product selection, please contact us.

References: PneumaticTips “Leybold introduces TRIVAC L two-stage rotary vane pump” | Leybold TRIVAC L Product Documentation