Abstract: A side channel pump, preferably a vacuum pump, includes a driven rotor (16) and a fixed stator (14). The rotor (16) and the stator (14) define a pump channel circulating in a peripheral direction. Blades are fixed onto the rotor, protruding into the cross-section of the pump channel. The pump channel also includes a blade-free side channel (44). The pump channel (22) containing the side channel (44) extends in a helical manner around the rotor (16). The pump channel is advantageously not limited to the length of a winding but can have the length of substantially any number of uninterrupted windings. As a result, a high suction performance and a high compression ratio in the pump can be obtained.

Abstract: The invention relates to a pump which is being a side channel pump, preferably a vacuum pump, essentially comprising a driven rotor (16) and a fixed stator (14). The rotor (16) and the stator (14) define a pump channel circulating in a peripheral direction. Blades are fixed onto the rotor, protruding into the cross-section of the pump channel. The pump channel also comprises a blade-free side channel (44). The pump channel (22) containing the side channel (44) extends in a helical manner around the rotor (16). The pump channel is, therefore, no longer limited to the length of a winding but can have the length of a plurality of random uninterrupted windings. As a result, a high suction performance and a high compression ratio in the pump can be obtained.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for testing the tightness of a package (11) containing a packaged object (10) and in which a test gas is contained; leak testing is performed in such a manner that the packaged object (10) is introduced into a test chamber formed by two extensible foils (2, 3) and where the space between the foils (2, 3), in which the packaged object is contained, is evacuated in such a manner that the foils (2, 3) can wrap the packaged object (10); at least in the areas of their surfaces which face the packaged object (10) and in which the tightness of the package (11) is to be inspected, the foils (2, 3) are provided with means (12) which form a coherent intermediate space (13) over the areas to be inspected of the package (11); the intermediate space (13) is evacuated down to a pressure lower than the pressure within the package (11); the evacuated intermediate space (13) is connected to a detector (30) sensitive to the test gas to determine if test gas escapes outwards through the inspected area of