Deposition of nickel films on the interior surface of polytetrafluoroethylene tubing

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR PLATING THE INNER SURFACE OF FLEXBLE PLASTIC TUBING SUCH AS TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE TUBING WITH A COATING OF NICKEL WHICH COMPRISES, A SOURCE OF HYDROGEN GAS UNDER PRESSURE, A SOURCE OF NICKEL CARBONYL GAS UNDER PRESSURE, A HYDROGEN GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT CONNECTED TO SAID HYDRROGEN GAS SOURCE HAVING A FLOW METER, A DEOXIDIZER, AND A DRIER THEREIN, VALVE MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE DISCHARGE OF HYDROGEN GAS FROM SAID SOURCE OF HYDROGEN GAS INTO SAID HYDROGEN GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT AT A PREDETERMINED LOW PRESSURE, A NICKEL CARBONYL GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT FROM SAID NICKEL CARBONL GAS SOURCE CONNECTED TO SAID HYDROGEN GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT HAVING FLOW METER THEREIN, NICKEL CARBONYL GAS CONTROL VALVE MEANS IN SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT FOR CONTROLLING FLOW OF SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS AT A PREDETERMINED LOW PRESSURE INTO SAID HYDROGEN GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT, ELECTRIC HEATER MEANS SURROUNDING SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT AND SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS SOURCE, ADJUSTABLE FOR HEATING SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS SOURCE AND SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT TO A UNIFORM TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 34*C., MEANS FOR CONNECTING A LENGTH OF TUBING TO BE PLATED INTERIORLY WITH NICKEL ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID HYDROGEN GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT, DOWNSTREAM FROM THE JUNCTURE OF SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS CONDUIT THEREWITH, ELECTRICAL HEATING COIL MEANS ADAPTED TO SURROUND THE PLASTIC TUBING TO BE INTERNALLY PLATED, TO EXTEND SUBSTANTIALLY FROM END TO END THEREOF, A REGULATED ELECTRICAL SOURCE CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SURROUNDING HEATING COIL FOR MAINTAINING THE TUBING TO BE INTERNALLY PLATED AT A TEMPERATURE OF 34*C. DURING THE INTERNAL PLATING THEREOF, AN ELONGATED ELECTRICALLY NONCONDUCTIVE TUBULAR HEAT CONFINING MEMBER CONCENTRICALY SURROUNDING SAID ELECTRICAL HEATING COIL AND THE PLASTIC TUBING TO BE PLATED TO ENCLOSE A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF SAID HEATING COIL AND TUBING INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, ADJSTABLE AXIALLY ALONG THE TUBING AND SAID SURROUNDONG HEATING COIL, ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEANS FIXED AT EACH END OF SAID TUBULAR HEAT CONFINING MEMBER ESTABLISHING ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH SAID SURROUNDING ELECTRICAL HEATING COIL AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID TUBULAR HEAT CONFINING MEMBER, SECOND REGULATED ELECTRICAL SOURCE CONNECTED TO SAID LAST CONDUCTOR MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE IN A PLATING ZONE WITHIN SAID NONCONDUCTIVE TUBULAR HEAT CONFINING MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF AT 90*C., A DISCHARGE CON: DUIT ADPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE PLASTIC TUBING TO BE INTERNALLY PLATED, A VACUUM PUMP CONNECTED TO THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT FOR MAINTAINING A PARTIAL VACUUM IN SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT AND IN THE TUBING TO BE PLATED OF SUBSTANTIALLY TWO MILLIMETERS OF MERCURY DURING THE INERNAL PLATING THEREOF, AND A COLD TRAP IN SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A LOW TEMPERATURE LIQUID SUCH AS LIQID NITROGEN FOR FREEZING DOWN ANY UNDERCOMPOSED VAPORS SUCH AS NICKEL CARBONYL VAPORS AND CARBON MONOXIDE VAPORS PASSING THEREINTO FROM SAID PLATING ZONE TO SAID VACUUM PUMP.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR PLATING THE INNER SURFACE OF FLEXBLE PLASTIC TUBING SUCH AS TETRAFLUOROETHYLENE TUBING WITH A COATING OF NICKEL WHICH COMPRISES, A SOURCE OF HYDROGEN GAS UNDER PRESSURE, A SOURCE OF NICKEL CARBONYL GAS UNDER PRESSURE, A HYDROGEN GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT CONNECTED TO SAID HYDRROGEN GAS SOURCE HAVING A FLOW METER, A DEOXIDIZER, AND A DRIER THEREIN, VALVE MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE DISCHARGE OF HYDROGEN GAS FROM SAID SOURCE OF HYDROGEN GAS INTO SAID HYDROGEN GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT AT A PREDETERMINED LOW PRESSURE, A NICKEL CARBONYL GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT FROM SAID NICKEL CARBONL GAS SOURCE CONNECTED TO SAID HYDROGEN GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT HAVING FLOW METER THEREIN, NICKEL CARBONYL GAS CONTROL VALVE MEANS IN SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT FOR CONTROLLING FLOW OF SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS AT A PREDETERMINED LOW PRESSURE INTO SAID HYDROGEN GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT, ELECTRIC HEATER MEANS SURROUNDING SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT AND SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS SOURCE, ADJUSTABLE FOR HEATING SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS SOURCE AND SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT TO A UNIFORM TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 34*C., MEANS FOR CONNECTING A LENGTH OF TUBING TO BE PLATED INTERIORLY WITH NICKEL ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID HYDROGEN GAS DELIVERY CONDUIT, DOWNSTREAM FROM THE JUNCTURE OF SAID NICKEL CARBONYL GAS CONDUIT THEREWITH, ELECTRICAL HEATING COIL MEANS ADAPTED TO SURROUND THE PLASTIC TUBING TO BE INTERNALLY PLATED, TO EXTEND SUBSTANTIALLY FROM END TO END THEREOF, A REGULATED ELECTRICAL SOURCE CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SURROUNDING HEATING COIL FOR MAINTAINING THE TUBING TO BE INTERNALLY PLATED AT A TEMPERATURE OF 34*C. DURING THE INTERNAL PLATING THEREOF, AN ELONGATED ELECTRICALLY NONCONDUCTIVE TUBULAR HEAT CONFINING MEMBER CONCENTRICALY SURROUNDING SAID ELECTRICAL HEATING COIL AND THE PLASTIC TUBING TO BE PLATED TO ENCLOSE A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF SAID HEATING COIL AND TUBING INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, ADJSTABLE AXIALLY ALONG THE TUBING AND SAID SURROUNDONG HEATING COIL, ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEANS FIXED AT EACH END OF SAID TUBULAR HEAT CONFINING MEMBER ESTABLISHING ELECTRICAL CONTACT WITH SAID SURROUNDING ELECTRICAL HEATING COIL AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID TUBULAR HEAT CONFINING MEMBER, SECOND REGULATED ELECTRICAL SOURCE CONNECTED TO SAID LAST CONDUCTOR MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE TEMPERATURE IN A PLATING ZONE WITHIN SAID NONCONDUCTIVE TUBULAR HEAT CONFINING MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF AT 90*C., A DISCHARGE CON: DUIT ADPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE PLASTIC TUBING TO BE INTERNALLY PLATED, A VACUUM PUMP CONNECTED TO THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT FOR MAINTAINING A PARTIAL VACUUM IN SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT AND IN THE TUBING TO BE PLATED OF SUBSTANTIALLY TWO MILLIMETERS OF MERCURY DURING THE INERNAL PLATING THEREOF, AND A COLD TRAP IN SAID DISCHARGE CONDUIT ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A LOW TEMPERATURE LIQUID SUCH AS LIQID NITROGEN FOR FREEZING DOWN ANY UNDERCOMPOSED VAPORS SUCH AS NICKEL CARBONYL VAPORS AND CARBON MONOXIDE VAPORS PASSING THEREINTO FROM SAID PLATING ZONE TO SAID VACUUM PUMP.