# Central vacuum systems for factories

The Compressed Air Challenge Fact Sheet #2 (May 2026) says plants should apply a vacuum system instead of creating a vacuum using compressed air venturi methods; the 2016 US Department of Energy sourcebook says compressed-air vacuum generators are usually less economical to operate than central vacuum systems.

## Vacuum generators

The third edition (2016) of the US Department of Energy sourcebook Improving Compressed Air System Performance, written with the Compressed Air Challenge, lists vacuum generation among the potentially inappropriate uses of compressed air. A vacuum generator uses compressed air with a venturi, eductor or ejector to create a negative-pressure flow. Typical applications are hold-downs and drum-mounted compressed air vacuum cleaners, and the sourcebook also names shop vacuums, drum pumps, palletizers, de-palletizers, box makers, packaging equipment and automatic die-cutting equipment. Vacuum generators are chosen for safety, ease of installation, physical size, no electricity at the point of use and low first cost.

## What the 2026 fact sheet and the 2016 sourcebook say

The Compressed Air Challenge Fact Sheet #2 (May 2026, Rev. 1), on inappropriate uses of compressed air, says plants should apply a vacuum system instead of creating a vacuum using compressed air venturi methods that flow high pressure air past an orifice. It no longer has the section on vacuum generators that the 2016 edition of the fact sheet had. That section of the 2016 edition says:

- vacuum generators are usually less economical to operate than central vacuum systems, and a dedicated vacuum pump or a central vacuum system provides more suction force at a fraction of the cost of vacuum produced by compressed air;
- vacuum generators on peak load applications, such as shop vacuums and drum pumps, can make another compressor turn on and stay on until it times out;
- designing the vacuum system into the machine from the beginning is significantly more cost effective than retrofitting a piece of equipment, and vacuum generators must be applied properly and only after taking life cycle costs into consideration;
- where compressed-air vacuum is needed, a solenoid valve on the supply line should shut it off when it is not needed.

## When a venturi still fits

The 2016 sourcebook says that for very intermittent use compressed air can be a reasonable solution. Multi-stage venturi devices generally give a more efficient ratio of vacuum flow to compressed air consumed than single-stage ones, and the sourcebook says multi-stage venturi-type vacuum generators with pressure regulators and automatic shut-off controls may also be suitable where a central vacuum system is impractical, particularly where the uses may not be confined to one area.

## Vacuum pumps

The 2016 sourcebook defines vacuum pumps as compressors that operate with an intake pressure below atmospheric pressure and discharge to atmospheric pressure or slightly higher; as an example, it notes lubricant-injected rotary screw vacuum pumps from 80 to 3,100 inlet cfm and vacuum to 29.7 inches Hg.

Ultra Controlo distributes and services Elmo Rietschle and Gardner Denver equipment. Its Industrial 2026 catalogue lists Elmo Rietschle liquid-ring, rotary-vane (dry or lubricated), screw (dry running) and oil-free vacuum pumps, claw vacuum pumps and compressors and side-channel blowers, and a Gardner Denver range of industrial compressors, blowers and vacuum pumps.

### When is a compressed-air venturi the better choice?

The 2016 DOE sourcebook says compressed air can be a reasonable solution for very intermittent use, and that multi-stage venturi generators with pressure regulators and automatic shut-off controls may be suitable where a central vacuum system is impractical, particularly where the uses may not be confined to one area.

## Sources

- [US Department of Energy and Compressed Air Challenge, Improving Compressed Air System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry, Third Edition (2016), Fact Sheet 2, section 1 and glossary](https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2016/03/f30/Improving%20Compressed%20Air%20Sourcebook%20version%203.pdf)
- Ultra Controlo, Industrial 2026 catalogue, pp. 11 and 12
- [Ultra Controlo, Medical gas answers: Does Ultra Controlo supply industry as well as hospitals?](https://www.ultracontrolo.com/medical-gas-answers#does-ultra-controlo-supply-industry)
- [Compressed Air Challenge, Compressed Air Systems Fact Sheet #2: Inappropriate Uses of Compressed Air (May 2026, Rev. 1)](https://www.compressedairchallenge.org/data/sites/1/media/library/factsheets2026/fact-sheet-2-inappropriate-uses-of-compressed-air_updated2026.pdf)

Reviewed: 2026-10-22. Ultra Controlo engineering. https://library.ultracontrolo.com/industry/central-vacuum-systems-for-industry/