US4926648A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Turbomolecular pump and method of operating the same
Assignee: Ebara Corp
•
Filing: 1989-03-03
•
Granted: 1990-05-22
•
Expires: 2009-03-03
Abstract
Abstract A turbomolecular pump having a rotor provided with a plurality of rotor blades and a spacer provided with a plurality of stator blades so that gas molecules are sucked in from a suction port, compressed and discharged from an exhaust port. The pump further has a heat exchanger provided inside the suction port, the heat exchanger being connected to a refrigerator through a refrigerant pipe and a gate valve provided on the upstream side of the suction port. Gases having low molecular weights, particularly water vapor, are freeze-trapped on the heat exchanger. Thus, it is possible to efficiently exhaust gases having low molecular weights, particularly water vapor, and hence to obtain a high vacuum of good quality. In addition, it is easy to start and suspend operation of the system and possible to run it on a continuous basis.
Inventors
- 👤 Katsuya Okumura
- 👤 Fumio Kuriyama
- 👤 Yukio Murai
- 👤 Manabu Tsujimura
- 👤 Hiroshi Sobukawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 14:08
CPC Classifications
F; F04; F04D; F04D19/00; F04D19/02; F04D19/04; F04B; F04B37/00; F04B37/06; F04D19/046; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S417/00; Y10S417/901
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
87 words
A turbomolecular pump having a rotor provided with a plurality of rotor blades and a spacer provided with a plurality of stator blades so that gas molecules are sucked in from a suction port, compressed and discharged from an exhaust port by the interaction between said rotor and stator blades, wherein the improvement comprises: a heat exchanger provided inside said suction port, said heat exchanger being connected to a refrigerator through a refrigerant pipe; and a gate valve provided on the upstream side of said suction port.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
87 words
A turbomolecular pump having a rotor provided with a plurality of rotor blades and a spacer provided with a plurality of stator blades so that gas molecules are sucked in from a suction port, compressed and discharged from an exhaust port by the interaction between said rotor and stator blades, wherein the improvement comprises: a heat exchanger provided inside said suction port, said heat exchanger being connected to a refrigerator through a refrigerant pipe; and a gate valve provided on the upstream side of said suction port.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
A turbomolecular pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said refrigerator has the capability of supplying a refrigerant cooled to from about -100° C. to about -190° C.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
A turbomolecular pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said refrigerator is capable of defrosting.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
20 words
A turbomolecular pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said turbomolecular pump further comprises a heater inside said suction port.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
54 words
A turbomolecular pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heat exchanger comprises a flat heat transfer coil and a plurality of heat transfer plates blazed on upper and lower sides of said heat transfer coil in spaced relationship to each other so that gas molecules sucked in from said suction port pass therebetween.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
73 words
A turbomolecular pump as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heat exchanger comprises a cylindrical heat transfer coil, a cylindrical heat transfer member concentrically encircling said heat transfer coil and a plurality of radial heat transfer plates blazed between said heat transfer coil and heat transfer member, said heat transfer coil, heat transfer member and heat transfer plates being disposed parallel to the flow of gas molecules sucked in from said suction port.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
32 words
A turbomolecular pump as claimed in claim 6, wherein said heat exchanger further comprises a cylindrical heat shield member concentrically encircling and attached to the outside of said cylindrical heat transfer member.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
63 words
A method of operating a turbomolecular pump comprising: an exhaust step in which a gate valve provided at the upstream side of a suction port is opened and, in this state, water vapor is freeze-trapped by a heat exchanger provided inside said suction port; and a regeneration step in which, with said gate valve closed, the water vapor freeze-trapped is thawed and released.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
63 words
A method of operating a turbomolecular pump comprising: an exhaust step in which a gate valve provided at the upstream side of a suction port is opened and, in this state, water vapor is freeze-trapped by a heat exchanger provided inside said suction port; and a regeneration step in which, with said gate valve closed, the water vapor freeze-trapped is thawed and released.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
45 words
A method of operating a turbomolecular pump as claimed in claim 8, wherein said heat exchanger is connected to a refrigerator through a refrigerant pipe, and said regeneration step includes a step of switching over said refrigerator from a refrigerating mode to a defrost mode.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
65 words
A method of operating a turbomolecular pump as claimed in claim 8, wherein said heat exchanger is connected to a refrigerator through a refrigerant pipe, said turbo-molecular pump includes a heater inside said suction port, and said regeneration step includes a step of heating said heater in excess of the refrigeration capacity of said refrigerator with the refrigerating capacity of said refrigerator maintained or lowered.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method of operating a turbomolecular pump as claimed in claim 8, wherein said regeneration step is conducted by continuing the exhaust operation of said turbomolecular pump with said gate valve closed.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-05-21 | 1993-11-20 | 1994-05-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-05-21 | 1997-11-20 | 1998-05-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-05-21 | 2001-11-20 | 2002-05-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |