Abstract: An alternating pressure apparatus for obtaining oxygen from the air has two adsorbers to which an air blower for adsorption air and a vacuum pump stand for desorption are connected. The vacuum pump stand has two vacuum pumps in tandem. In a partial load operation characterized by low O.sub.2 removal; and during the lower pressure equalization of the adsorbers, the vacuum pump stand is connected to the air blower in that in each case the vacuum valve, connecting one adsorber to the vacuum pump stand, and the air valve, connecting the same adsorber to the air blower, are opened at the same time.

Abstract: An alternating pressure apparatus for obtaining oxygen from the air has two adsorbers to which an air blower for adsorption air and a vacuum pump stand for desorption are connected. The vacuum pump stand has two vacuum pumps in tandem. The second vacuum pump in the direction of flow is configured as a rotary piston pump with preliminary inlet cooling for the defined inflow of outside air at atmospheric pressure. The inlet of the second vacuum pump is connected to the outlet of the first vacuum pump without the use of gas cooling by water injection or by a heat exchanger. The alternating pressure apparatus operates with a desorption pressure between 300 mbar and 500 mbar.

Abstract: A vacuum pumping stand for the cyclic pumping-down of containers and for maintaining an operating vacuum in the containers, for the pumping-down of the container. The vacuum pumping stand has a first and a second vacuum pump which are arranged in series and form a first and a second pumping stage. The first vacuum pump is a radial flow compressor with a controllable throttle which is located in the intake pipe to the first vacuum pump. The second vacuum pump is a rotary compressor or a water ring pump. The second vacuum pump is located in a vacuum pipe in parallel to an outlet pipe of the first vacuum pump and is connected with its inlet at a branch-off with the outlet pipe. A control part is situated in each of the outlet pipe and the vacuum pipe downstream of the branch-off for directing the delivered volume at higher pressures from the first vacuum pump directly or at lower pressures from the first vacuum pump by way of the second vacuum pump 13 to the outlet 10 of the vacuum pump stand.