What is ISO 21360-2 about?
ISO 21360 is a series on vacuum technology. Vacuum technology is a method used to evacuate air from a closed volume by creating a pressure differential from the closed volume to some vent, the ultimate vent being the open atmosphere. ISO 21360-2 specifies methods for measuring the volume flow rate, base pressure, water vapour tolerance, power consumption, and the lowest start-up temperature of positive displacement vacuum pumps, which discharge gas against atmospheric pressure and with a usual base pressure <10 kPa.
In ISO 21360-2 it is necessary to use the determinations of volume flow rate and base pressure specified in ISO 21360-1. ISO 21360-2 also applies to the testing of other types of pumps that can discharge gas against atmospheric pressure, for example, drag pumps.
Who is ISO 21360-2 for?
ISO 21360-2 on vacuum technology is useful for:
- Vacuum equipment manufacturers
- Design engineers
- Research and development facilities
- Quality control personnel
Why should you use ISO 21360-2?
Vacuum engineering deals with technological processes and equipment that use vaccums to achieve better results than those that run under atmospheric pressure. ISO 21360-2 discusses methods for measuring the performance data of positive displacement vacuum pumps. ISO 21360-2 complements ISO 21360-1, which provides a general description of the measurement of performance data of vacuum pumps.
The methods described in ISO 21360-2 are well known from existing national and International Standards. A positive displacement vacuum pump as described in ISO 21360-2 is a pump in which a volume filled with gas is cyclically isolated from the inlet, the gas is then transferred to an outlet. 
A positive displacement pump moves a fluid by repeatedly enclosing a fixed volume, with the aid of seals or valves, and moving it mechanically through the system. The pumping action is cyclic and can be driven by pistons, screws, gears, lobes, diaphragms, or vanes. Using ISO 21360-2 you can measure the volume flow rate, base pressure, water vapour tolerance, power consumption, and the lowest start-up temperature of a positive displacement vacuum pump which will help you in creating a low vacuum.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS ISO 21360-2:2020 supersedes BS ISO 21360-2:2012. BS ISO 21360-2:2020 includes some technical changes with respect to BS ISO 21360-2:2012. These include:
- Note added to 3.2 and 3.3. The test report should contain the ambient conditions
- In A.1.5, the formula has been corrected
