User Manual

V a c u P o

Vacuum Case

r r t t e r r

© UMS GmbH München

Art. no. VacuPorter

Version 02/2010

Author: ax/tk/ma

VacuPorter

Content

1 VacuPorter

1.1

Safety instructions and warnings

1.2

Content of delivery

1.3

Foreword

1.4

Intended use

1.5

Guarantee

1.6

Special notes

2 Product description

2.1

Assembly

2.2

Description

3 Operation

4 Service and Storage

4.1

Cleaning and repositioning the valve laminas

5 Protecting the measuring site

5.1

Theft and vandalism

5.2

Cable and tube protection

5.3

Frost

6 Troubleshooting

7 Appendix

7.1

Technical specifications

7.2

Accessories

7.2.1

Tubes

7.2.2

Suction cups

7.2.3

Sampling bottles and accessories

7.3

Glossary

7.4

Units for soil water and matric potentials

Your addressee at UMS

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VacuPorter

1 VacuPorter

1.1 Safety instructions and warnings

Please pay attention to the following possible causes of risk:

Caution! Use only implosion-proof sampling bottles. Danger of injury!

Never block the compressed air output!

1.2 Content of delivery

The delivery of a VacuPorter includes:



VacuPorter



Connecting tube (polyurethane) with quick-action tube connector



This manual



Mains power battery recharger

1.3 Foreword

Measuring systems must be reliable and durable and should require a minimum of maintenance to achieve target-oriented results and keep the servicing low. Moreover, the success of any technical system is directly depending on a correct operation.

At the beginning of a measuring task or research project the target, all effective values and the surrounding conditions must be defined.

This leads to the demands for the scientific and technical project management which describes all quality related processes and decides on the used methods, the technical and measurement tools, the verification of the results and the modelling.

The continuously optimized correlation of all segments and it's quality assurance are finally decisive for the success of a project.

So please do not hesitate to contact us for further support and information. We wish you good success with your projects.

Yours,

Georg von Unold

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VacuPorter

1.4 Intended use

The portable VacuPorter is designed to evacuate sampling bottles to extract soil water solution with the discontinuous method and pore water samplers, ceramic plates or lysimeters from unsaturated zones.

1.5 Guarantee

UMS gives a guarantee of 12 months against defects in manufacture or materials used. The guarantee does not cover damage through misuse or inexpert servicing or circumstances beyond our control.

The guarantee includes substitution or repair and package but excludes shipping expenses.

Please contact UMS or our representative before returning equipment. Place of fulfilment is Munich, Germany, Gmunder Str. 37!

1.6 Special notes

For more general information about soil water sampling we would like to recommend our brochure “Soil water extraction methods”.

Contact us for a copy or download from www.ums-muc.de

The rechargeable battery of the VacuPorter is not deep discharge protected. To preserve the battery’s capacity we recommend recharging the battery with the supplied charger immediately when you notice that the pump is not working at full power anymore.

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Product description

2 Product description

2.1 Assembly

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Vacuum gauge

Pressure gauge

On/Off button

Charger socket

Pressure connector

Vacuum connector

Operation

2.2 Description

The VacuPorter is light-weight, portable, non regulated vacuum case with internal pump for creating vacuum from 0 to 85 kPa or pressure up to 4 bars. The internal rechargeable battery is charged with the supplied mains charging device.

Clearly arranged front panel with on-off-switch, 2 quick-action tube couplings for vacuum and pressure, one pressure gauge for each vacuum and pressure and charging plug.

3 Operation

The operation of the VacuPorter is very simple, for example for evacuating sampling bottles. UMS sampling bottles are either plugged with a clamp or with a stopper fitting as seen in the photo.

Open the vacuum tube to vent the bottle. To take off the fitting, slightly press down the blue ring to release the tube.

Collect the sample, or replace the bottle with a clean one.

Connect the supplied vacuum tube (outer diameter 6 mm, inner diameter 4 mm) to the vacuum outlet of the VacuPorter (or to the coupling of an extension tube). Insert the tube as far as it will go beyond the noticeable resistance.

Connect the coupling on the other end of the tube to the blue tube on the sampling bottle.

Switch on the unit to start the vacuum pump and watch the vacuum gauge. Switch off the unit as soon as the desired vacuum is achieved.

Then firmly bend the tube to lock up the vacuum against atmosphere. Press down the blue ring to release the tube and put the stopper plug back on the tube.

Find more details about this procedure on the following page.

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Operation

Procedure for the discontinuous method

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Service and Storage

4 Service and Storage

The panel plate is fixed only with a Velcro strip.

 In case water intruded the interior of the case you can lift off the panel plate. Please take care when doing this. Remove the water and let the unit dry.

 If water has entered vacuum tubes, particle filter or pump let them dry as well.

 Replace the filter when it is polluted by dust or oil (see accessories).

 Clean surfaces only with water and mild washing liquid. Never use solvent.

4.1 Cleaning and repositioning the valve laminas

Follow the steps in the table for cleaning the pump.

Do not apply force. Ensure that all parts stay dry and dust-free.

1. Take care when disassembling the pump!

Unscrew the four screws on the upper plate.

Remember the position of the outlets.

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Service and Storage

2. Check the valve lamellas (2 small round disks) and the o-rings.

Push them back into the correct position if they are displaced.

If they are torn they need to be replaced.

3. Remove the green disk to check the membrane underneath.

4. Carefully reassemble the pump.

Notice the green arrow.

During mounting the arrow should point towards the output of the pump.

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5 Protecting the measuring site

5.1 Theft and vandalism

The site should be protected against theft and vandalism as well as against any farming or field work. Therefore, the site should be fenced and signposts could give information about the purpose of the site.

5.2 Cable and tube protection

Cables and tubes should be protected against rodents with plastic protection tubes. UMS offers dividable protection tubes as accessory. For long term studies we recommend to dig cables and tubes a few centimetres below soil surface inside protection tubes.

5.3 Frost

For all-season operation install suction tubes in a frost-free depth and the sampling bottles in an insulated and buried box.

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Troubleshooting

6 Troubleshooting

Description of failure

Pump offers no or only low vacuum

Possible cause

Particle filter is blocked

Pump is not running

The charger indicates 24 V while charging

Water or dirt has intruded the pump

Open the pump, remove water or dirt, reposition the valve lamina. See chapter

“Cleaning and repositioning of the pump’s valve lamina”

Clean or replace the filter

Battery is discharged Recharge the battery

A cable might have loosened

Solution

Check the cables. In case, send in to UMS

7 Appendix

7.1 Technical specifications

Max. vacuum

Positive pressure

Flow volume

Rechargeable battery

Operation capacity

Housing

Dimensions

Working temperature

Tube connections

-85 kPa (at 1 bar atm.)

Up to 4 bar

10 litres per minute

12 VDC, 7 Ah

Approx. 7 h

IP 65

30x25x13 cm, weight 4.8 kg

-20…+50 °C

Quick-action tube couplings for tubes with outer diameter 6 mm

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Appendix

7.2 Accessories

7.2.1 Tubes

Article

Vacuum tube

Art. no.

SL-PU/6

Suction tube (soil water solution)

SL-PE/2.8

Connecting suction tubes

Protection tubes

SL-SIL/4.0

Suction tube protection

Description

Tube PU (polyurethane, blue), outer diam. 6 mm / inner diam. 4 mm, standard vacuum tube

Tube PE (polyethylene, transparent), outer diam. 2.8 mm, inner diam. 1.6 mm, standard suction tube

Tube silicone, OD 4 mm, ID 2 mm, soft, for suction tube connection

Available closed, dividable or with longitudinal slit.

When ordered with the deisred tube length (max. 20 m) suction tubes on the samplers are inserted in a fabric enforced rubber tube.

7.2.2 Suction cups

Find the full selection of available UMS pore water samplers and suction cups on: www.ums-muc.de/en/products/suction_cups.html

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Appendix

7.2.3 Sampling bottles and accessories

Article Art. no. Description

SF-protect Automatic valve for sampling bottles, overflow protection or for limiting the sampling volume.

Incl. T-piece

SF-500

SF-1000

SF-2000

SFK

Sampling bottle 500 ml, implosion protected, with screw cap for up to 3 tubes

Sampling bottle 1000 ml, implosion protected, with screw cap for up to 3 tubes

Sampling bottle 2000 ml, implosion protected, with screw cap for up to 3 tubes

Spare cap for sampling bottle GL45, blue

SF-Clip Clip for wall mounting of sampling bottles

SF-

FIELDBOX

Storage of sampling bottles for discontinuous method. Buriable PVCbox 40x30x35 cm, for up to 6 bottles

SF-1000, incl. 6 lead-throughs PG9 for suction cup tubes and reinforced side walls for subsurface installation (bottles not included).

Internal particle filter for VacuPorter

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Appendix

7.3 Glossary

Field capacity is the amount of soil moisture or water content held in soil after excess water has drained away and the rate of downward movement has materially decreased, which usually takes place within 2–3 days after a rain or irrigation in previous soils of uniform structure and texture. (Wikipedia)

Permanent wilting point (PWP) or wilting point (WP) is defined as the minimal point of soil moisture the plant requires not to wilt. If moisture decreases to this or any lower point a plant wilts and can no longer recover its turgidity when placed in a saturated atmosphere for 12 hours. The physical definition of the wilting point (symbolically expressed as θ pwp or θ wp

) is defined as the water content at −1500

J/kg (or −15 bars ) of suction pressure, or negative hydraulic head .

(Wikipedia)

Suction cup, pore water sampler or lysimeter

Different terms are common. In this context it is an instrument consisting of a hydrophilic membrane, shaft and suction tube which is used to extract soil water solution from unsaturated zones. We do not use the term lysimeter for pore water samplers as we define a lysimeter as a monolithic soil column.

Lysimeter

Container with defined surface, filled with soil and with at least one outlet. Used for quantification of water and substance flows, decay/reaction processes and simulation.

Tensiometer

Instrument for measuring soil water tension.

Vacuum

Pressure below atmospheric pressure.

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Appendix

7.4 Units for soil water and matric potentials

pF hPa kPa=J/kg Mpa bar

1

2,01

FK field capacitiy

2.53

Tensiometer ranges*

2.93

-10

-100

-330

-851

-1

-10

-33

psi %rF

-0,001 -0,01 -0,1450 99,9993

-0,01 -0,1 -1,4504 99,9926

-0,033 -0,33 -4,9145

99,9756

-85,1 -0,085 -0,85 -12,345

3 -1.000

4 -10.000

Permanent wilting point

4.18 -15.136

-100

-1.000

-1.513

-0,1

-1

-1.5

-1 -14,504 99,9261

-10 -145,04 99,2638

-15 -219,52

98,8977

Air-dry**

5 -100.000 -10.000 -10 -1 00 -1.450,4 92,8772

6 -1.000.000 -100.000 -100 -1 000 -14.504 47,7632

Oven-dry

7 -10.000.000 -1.000.000 -1.000 -10 000 -145.038 0,0618

* standard measuring range of Tensiometers

** depends on air humidity

Note: 1 kPa corresponds to 9,81 cm water column

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Your addressee at UMS

Your addressee at UMS

Sales Georg v. Unold

About this manual Thomas Keller

UMS GmbH

D-81379 München

Gmunderstr. 37 email: [email protected]

Tel:+49-89-126652-15

Email: [email protected]

Tel:+49-89-126652-19

Email: [email protected]

Ph.: +49-89-126652-0

Fax: +49-89-126652-20

Strictly observe rules for disposal of equipment containing electronics.

Within the EU: disposal through municipal waste prohibited - return electronic parts back to UMS.

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Rücknahme nach Elektro G

WEEE-Reg.-Nr. DE 69093488