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The MaxCom Advantage: Rotary Lobe Blowers vs Rotary Vane Pumps
When specifying a jetvac combination unit, contractors look closely at both sides of the system: high-pressure jetting and vacuum performance. Pressure, flow rate, tank capacity, suction power, and airflow all play a direct role in how efficiently a machine clears, cleans, and recovers waste on-site.
The Rioned MaxCom has been developed around this balance. Its 200 bar at 100 l/min jetting performance - other capacities are available - is matched with a Jurop DL180 HDR air-cooled rotary lobe blower, delivering up to 17,600 litres per minute / 621 CFM of free airflow. This combination gives operators the cleaning power and suction capacity needed for demanding urban drainage work, from sewer maintenance and gully emptying to silt recovery and reactive blockage clearance.
Understanding Vacuum Technologies
Most jetvac units use one of two positive-displacement vacuum technologies: rotary vane pumps or rotary lobe blowers. Both are proven solutions used throughout the drainage industry, but they are designed with different operational priorities in mind.
Rotary vane pumps are valued for their ability to generate high vacuum levels, making them highly versatile across a wide range of drainage and waste recovery applications. This is why they are used on machines such as the Rioned RioCom and FlexCom, where strong suction performance supports everything from routine drainage work to more demanding recovery tasks.
Rotary lobe blowers take a different approach, prioritising airflow volume over maximum vacuum depth. By moving larger volumes of air, they excel in applications where fast waste conveyance, rapid tank loading and high productivity are critical. This makes them particularly well-suited to sewer cleaning, gully emptying and municipal maintenance operations, which is why Rioned selected rotary lobe technology for the MaxCom.
Understanding how each technology works helps explain why both remain important tools in modern jetvac operations.
How Rotary Vane Pumps Work
Rotary vane pumps use sliding vanes that rotate within a housing to create a vacuum pressure. As the vanes move, they trap and compress air, creating a strong vacuum inside the waste tank.
This design allows rotary vane pumps to achieve higher vacuum levels than most rotary lobe blowers, making them particularly effective when lifting heavy sludge from deep chambers or septic tanks. For applications where maximum vacuum depth is the priority, rotary vane technology remains a proven solution.
However, the vanes are wear components that require regular maintenance. The pumps also rely on oil lubrication and can be more sensitive to water, debris and accidental carryover.
How Rotary Lobe Blowers Work
Rotary lobe blowers use two synchronised lobes that rotate without making contact with each other. Rather than compressing air internally, they move large volumes of air through the system at high speed.
This creates exceptionally high airflow rates, allowing waste, water and debris to be transported quickly from the suction hose into the tank. Because the internal components do not contact each other, wear is reduced, and the blower can operate continuously for extended periods.
This makes rotary lobe technology particularly attractive for municipal drainage work, sewer maintenance, gully emptying and high-volume waste recovery.
Rotary Lobe vs Rotary Vane: The Key Differences
Different drainage applications place different demands on the vacuum system. While some tasks benefit from achieving the deepest possible vacuum, others rely on high airflow to transport large volumes of water, silt and debris efficiently.
Why the MaxCom Uses a Rotary Lobe Blower
Every jetvac application places different demands on the vacuum system. While some operations benefit from achieving the deepest possible vacuum, others depend on moving large volumes of water, silt and debris efficiently over extended periods.
The MaxCom has been designed specifically for demanding urban drainage operations, where productivity, waste recovery rates and continuous performance are critical. It combines:
- 200 bar @ 100 l/min jetting performance
- 17,600 l/min suction capacity
- 8,000-litre tank capacity
- PTO-driven operation
- Compact 18-tonne chassis
To support these capabilities, the MaxCom is equipped with a Jurop DL180 HDR air-cooled rotary lobe blower delivering up to 17,600 litres per minute (1,056 m³/hr) of airflow. The blower features an oil-free airflow design, meaning lubricating oil is kept separate from the air stream. This helps ensure clean operation while the non-contacting rotor design contributes to reliability and low routine maintenance requirements.
A major reason to choose a blower pump is that it does not emit oil mist. This is ideal for areas where oil mist emissions are not permitted or subject to environmental compliance, such as tunnels, many city centres, and below-ground in buildings and parking garages.
The high-airflow characteristics of rotary lobe technology make it particularly effective for applications such as:
- Large sewer cleaning
- Gully emptying
- Silt and grit recovery (dry substances)
- Waste removal over longer hose runs
- Routine maintenance programmes
By moving large volumes of air through the system, the blower helps transport waste quickly and efficiently from the point of recovery to the tank. Combined with the MaxCom's large tank capacity and high-output jetting system, this supports fast waste loading, efficient operation and consistent performance throughout the working day.
The result is a jetvac combination unit engineered to maximise productivity in the demanding drainage and sewer maintenance environments for which it was designed.
Engineered for Productivity
The MaxCom has been developed for the demands of modern drainage operations, where productivity, reliability and versatility are critical. Its high-airflow vacuum system delivers fast loading performance, efficient waste recovery and dependable all-day operation across a wide range of drainage applications.
Whether tackling sewer cleaning, gully emptying, silt removal or routine maintenance work, the MaxCom is built to maximise uptime, reduce time on site and help contractors complete more work with a single vehicle.
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