Problem solving

The "Fire service vacuum". Extracting and pumping with a single unit

At "Roche Diagnostics" in Mannheim

Large production facilities, especially those dealing with potentially explosive and flammable materials, often have their own works fire-fighting service. Works fire services also have environmental protection duties. Tasks here include cleaning up after oil spillages and generally preventing pollution of waste water and soil on company premises. These duties require efficient, high-performance equipment. The works fire service at Roche Diagnostics GmbH in Mannheim uses two fire-service vacuums made by Ruwac Industrie-Sauger GmbH. One of the vacuums is a standard unit while the other is a customised model built to fire service specifications.

The Roche Works Fire Service in Mannheim is very well equipped. Fire service equipment includes a Ruwac water vacuum unit for removing water-borne contamination. The Ruwac WSP 2000 vacuum has two operating modes - vacuuming and pumping. The unit can be used to vacuum up waste material into a 45-litre drum or, in the pumping mode, can be used to pump waste liquids into the nearest drainage channel.

The WSP 2000 has a glass-fibre reinforced drum and a stainless steel pump and is therefore suitable for vacuuming and pumping corrosive materials. The large balloon tyres on the rear axle of the unit make it very easy to handle and move around. The unit can negotiate steps without any problems, an important feature given that the fire service specified that it had to be able to get the unit to the incident site as quickly as possible.

Roche in Mannheim also chose the fire service version of the WSP 2000 because it has connectors for fire-service standard hoses. This unit has already proved its worth in service. However, this particular unit does have its limits. It does not have the high pumping speed needed to rapidly pump out and empty overflowing pits and shafts. Roche asked Ruwac to supply a high-powered water vacuum unit suitable for high-speed pumping. Ruwac engineers designed a special version of the WSP 2000 which has two pumps and a 100-litre collector drum. The customised unit has a fluid pumping rate of 2 x 18 m³/h with a one metre pumping head. The maximum pumping head is 9 metres and the unit can develop up to 4,800 l litres of air per hour. The pumps had separate switching and can therefore be switched on and off to meet current pumping requirements.

In comparison with the standard version of the WSP 2000, the second unit built to Roche fire service specifications has an additional feature. The pump-out connectors are at the bottom of the drum rather than at the top. This feature means that the column of fluid in the drum increases the pumping power. This is particularly useful when the pump is running against an empty hose. This is just a small detail but one which greatly increases the unit's performance.

The second unit supplied by Ruwac is large but still compact. It is just a little higher than the standard version of the WSP 2000. Because Ruwac components are modular, the company had been able to achieve a large increase in performance with a relatively small increase in unit cost. This is a truly cost-effective solution. The two vacuum units are painted in fire-brigade red. This was not a fire service specification. It just happens to be the standard Ruwac colour.