A distributed online heating system and online heating method

Abstract

This invention discloses a distributed online heating system and online heating method. The online heating system includes a liquid supply pump, a process tank, and at least two heating units connected between the process pump and the process tank. Each heating unit includes a heating tube, a connecting pipeline, and a first control valve, a second / third control valve, and a fourth control valve disposed on the connecting pipeline. The first control valve connects the output end of the liquid supply pump to the input end of the heating tube; the second control valve connects the output end of the heating tube to the input end of a heating tube in the next heating unit; the third control valve connects the input end of the heating tube to the input end of a heating tube in the next heating unit; and the fourth control valve connects the output end of the heating tube to the input end of the process tank, and the fourth control valve is arranged in parallel with the second control valve. This invention can supply multiple heating processes within the same heating system, greatly improving the process coverage capability of the online heating system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of semiconductor heating equipment technology, specifically relating to a distributed online heating system and an online heating method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, online heaters are frequently used in semiconductor wet process equipment. Compared to offline heaters, online heaters have advantages such as small size, continuous liquid supply without switching, ensuring continuous and stable production processes. In particular, the advantage of continuous production without switching greatly improves the continuity and stability of the process. However, the small size and continuous supply also mean that online heating systems generally have problems such as poor heating capacity, relatively fixed supply parameters, poor flexibility, and significant impact on production equipment in case of failure. These problems have limited the application scope of online heating and prevented its widespread use.

[0003] To address the aforementioned shortcomings of online heaters, the following measures are commonly adopted for improvement: (1) increasing the heater volume and power to meet high flow rate requirements; (2) configuring different heaters for the same reagent with different process parameters and using them together for separate liquid supply; (3) setting up a backup heater to switch to backup equipment in case of heating failure to avoid downtime. The characteristic of the above measures is that the heating system parameters and forms are specially customized for the main pain points and process characteristics of the equipment. When there are significant changes in the equipment process, the heating system cannot meet the new requirements and often needs to be redesigned and replaced. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this invention provides a distributed online heating system to solve the issues of poor supply capacity and lack of flexibility in existing online heating systems. Furthermore, this invention also provides an online heating method.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a distributed online heating system, comprising a liquid supply pump, a process tank, and at least two heating units connected between the process pump and the process tank, wherein the heating units are connected in a distributed manner.

[0007] The heating unit includes: a heating element, a connecting pipe, and a first control valve, a second control valve, a third control valve, and a fourth control valve disposed on the connecting pipe, wherein...

[0008] The first control valve connects the output end of the liquid supply pump to the input end of the heating tube;

[0009] The second control valve connects the output end of the heating tube to the input end of the heating tube in the next heating unit;

[0010] The third control valve connects the input end of the heating tube to the input end of the heating tube in the next heating unit;

[0011] The fourth control valve is connected to the output end of the heating tube and the input end of the process tank, and the fourth control valve is arranged in parallel with the second control valve.

[0012] Furthermore, the connection method includes: each of the heating units is connected in parallel with each other.

[0013] Furthermore, the connection method includes: at least two of the heating units are connected in series, and the two heating units connected in series are then connected in parallel with each of the remaining heating units.

[0014] Furthermore, the connection method includes: each of the heating units is connected in series.

[0015] Furthermore, the heating units are connected in parallel to form a parallel group, in which the first control valve and the fourth control valve in each heating unit are turned on, and the second control valve and the third control valve in each heating unit are turned off.

[0016] Furthermore, the heating units are connected in series to form a series group. In the series group, the first control valve of the heating unit at the beginning is closed, while the first control valve of the heating unit at the end is closed, and the fourth control valve of the heating unit at the end is closed, while the second control valve of the heating unit at the middle end is open and the third control valve is closed.

[0017] Furthermore, the connection method also includes: in the series or parallel configuration of the heating units, redundant heating units that can be automatically cut off are incorporated to form an alternative configuration of the heating units.

[0018] Furthermore, in the alternative configuration, the redundant heating unit closes the first control valve, the third control valve, and the fourth control valve, and opens the second control valve to connect to the intermediate series configuration in a working state; the redundant heating unit closes the first control valve, the second control valve, and the fourth control valve, and opens the third control valve to connect to the intermediate series configuration in an alternative state.

[0019] Furthermore, in the alternative configuration, the redundant heating unit closes the second and third control valves and opens the first and fourth control valves to be connected to the parallel configuration in a working state; the redundant heating unit closes the first, second, and fourth control valves and opens the third control valve to be connected to the parallel configuration in an alternative state.

[0020] Furthermore, the heating unit also includes a sensor connected to the heating tube.

[0021] Furthermore, the sensor includes one or more of the following: temperature sensor, flow sensor, pressure sensor, and current sensor.

[0022] Furthermore, the distributed online heating system also includes a controller, which is electrically connected to each heating unit and adjusts the connection mode of the heating units by receiving information output from the sensors.

[0023] Furthermore, the first control valve, the second control valve, the third control valve, and the fourth control valve are all remotely controlled.

[0024] Furthermore, the first control valve, the second control valve, the third control valve, and the fourth control valve each include one or more of the following: pneumatic valve, electric valve, and hydraulic control valve.

[0025] A second aspect of the present invention provides an online heating method employing the above-described distributed online heating system, comprising:

[0026] Sensors in the heating unit acquire heating information;

[0027] The controller in the online heating system receives the heating information and controls the number of heating units and the connection method of the heating units.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical effects:

[0029] (1) This invention has wide applicability and is easy to switch. It is easy to install and maintain, and the equipment has high stability and reliability. The machine has a small footprint, which makes the online heating system widely used in wet production equipment, effectively improving the stability of product quality and reducing production and maintenance costs.

[0030] (2) By combining the series and parallel arrangement of each heating unit, the present invention can realize the supply of multiple heating processes in the same heating system or even at the same time, which greatly improves the process coverage capability of the online heating system.

[0031] (3) The heating system of the present invention can use various types of online heaters, pipelines and valves, and is not affected by the material or heating method, so it is applicable to all fluid medium heating needs.

[0032] (4) In this invention, the heater unit and its surrounding components are combined to form a heating unit. The heating system is formed by the replication and accumulation of the heating units. Therefore, when configuring the system, it is only necessary to connect the groups of heating units to each other, which is simple and quick to install.

[0033] (5) The present invention is equipped with redundant heating units. When the sensor detects a fault in a heater, it can be immediately cut off and replaced to ensure continuous production temperature. At the same time, this replacement method only causes a momentary fluctuation in the total system flow during switching, which reduces system fluctuation and improves stability.

[0034] (6) The present invention adopts a modular distributed installation form, and each heating unit can be installed arbitrarily in the spare space of the machine and connected by pipelines. Therefore, the existing space of the machine can be used reasonably and fully, avoiding the occupation of additional dedicated space and greatly reducing the size of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0035] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an online heating system in the prior art.

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the distributed online heating system of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the heating unit in the distributed online heating system of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the liquid flow direction when the heating units of this invention are connected in parallel.

[0040] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the liquid flow direction when the heating units of the present invention are connected in series and then in parallel.

[0041] Figure 6 This is one of the liquid flow diagrams for the series connection of the heating units in this invention.

[0042] Figure 7 This is the second diagram showing the liquid flow direction of the heating units connected in series in this invention.

[0043] The specific descriptions of the reference numerals in the attached drawings are as follows: heating unit 1, liquid supply pump 2, controller 3, process tank 4, connecting pipeline 1-1, first control valve 1-2, second control valve 1-3, third control valve 1-4, fourth control valve 1-5, heating tube 1-6, sensor 1-7. Detailed Implementation

[0044] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0045] Figure 1 For example, an online heating system structural configuration, Figure 1 As shown, the system includes a main heater 1' and a standby heater 2', both with identical parameter configurations, customized according to the machine's liquid supply process requirements. The main heater 1' handles the liquid supply during normal operation; in case of failure, it immediately switches to the standby heater 2' via valve 3'. This online heating system simply solves the requirement of ensuring stable production during heater failures, but it does not address other issues, such as: 1. When equipment requires high flow rates and temperatures, large online heaters with extremely high power are often used. Although their size is smaller than offline heaters, the advantages of smaller size and flexible installation space are not apparent. Furthermore, the extremely high individual heating power results in a significant lifespan limitation for the heaters. 2. When the same medium is used multiple times in different process cycles with inconsistent requirements, a separate heating system needs to be configured for each process requirement, leading to a redundant and bulky heating system. 3. When the preset process of the equipment undergoes significant changes, the existing online heating system is often incompatible, requiring a new heating system to be configured and replaced, greatly reducing the flexibility of the production process.

[0046] Therefore, there is currently no online heating system that can effectively solve the above problems, which limits the application scope of online heating systems and makes it difficult to realize their advantages.

[0047] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, this embodiment provides a distributed online heating system with adjustable power and flow rate, including a liquid supply pump 2, a process tank 4, and at least two heating units 1 connected between the process pump and the process tank 4. The heating units 1 are connected in a distributed manner.

[0048] The heating unit 1 includes: a heating tube 1-6, a connecting pipe 1-1, and a first control valve 1-2, a second control valve 1-3, a third control valve 1-4, and a fourth control valve 1-5 disposed on the connecting pipe 1-1, wherein,

[0049] The first control valve 1-2 is connected to the output end of the liquid supply pump 2 and the input end of the heating tube 1-6;

[0050] The second control valve 1-3 connects the output end of the heating tube 1-6 to the input end of the heating tube 1-6 in the next heating unit 1;

[0051] The third control valve 1-4 connects the input end of the heating tube 1-6 to the input end of the heating tube 1-6 in the next heating unit 1;

[0052] The fourth control valve 1-5 is connected to the output end of the heating tube 1-6 and the input end of the process tank 4, and the fourth control valve 1-5 is arranged in parallel with the second control valve 1-3.

[0053] Furthermore, the distributed connection method includes: each of the heating units 1 is connected in parallel. Specifically, the heating units 1 are connected in parallel to form a parallel group, in which the first control valve 1-2 and the fourth control valve 1-5 in each heating unit 1 are open, and the second control valve 1-3 and the third control valve 1-4 in each heating unit 1 are closed.

[0054] Furthermore, the distributed connection method also includes: each of the heating units 1 is connected in series. The heating units 1 are connected in series to form a series group. In the series group, the first control valves 1-2 of the first heating unit 1 are closed except for the first control valve 1-2 of the first heating unit 1, the fourth control valves 1-5 of the last heating unit 1 are closed except for the fourth control valve 1-5 of the last heating unit 1, and the second control valve 1-3 of the middle heating unit 1 is open and the third control valve 1-4 is closed.

[0055] Furthermore, the distributed connection method also includes: at least two of the heating units 1 are connected in series, and the two heating units 1 connected in series are then connected in parallel with each of the remaining heating units 1.

[0056] Furthermore, the connection method also includes: in the series or parallel configuration of the heating units 1, an automatically disconnectable redundant heating unit is incorporated to form an alternative configuration of the heating units 1. Optionally, the structure of the redundant heating unit is the same as that of the heating unit.

[0057] Specifically, in the alternative configuration, the redundant heating unit closes the first control valve 1-2, the third control valve 1-4, and the fourth control valve 1-5, and opens the second control valve 1-3 to be connected to the intermediate series configuration in a working state; the redundant heating unit 1 closes the first control valve 1-2, the second control valve 1-3, and the fourth control valve 1-5, and opens the third control valve 1-4 to be connected to the intermediate series configuration in an alternative state.

[0058] In the alternative configuration, the redundant heating unit 1 closes the second control valve 1-3 and the third control valve 1-4, and opens the first control valve 1-2 and the fourth control valve 1-5 to be connected to the intermediate parallel configuration in the working state; the redundant heating unit 1 closes the first control valve 1-2, the second control valve 1-3 and the fourth control valve 1-5, and opens the third control valve 1-4 to be connected to the intermediate parallel configuration in the alternative state.

[0059] It should be noted that the redundant heating unit 1 in the alternative configuration is usually set in the middle of the series or parallel configuration. In special cases, the redundant heating unit is set at the beginning and end of the series or parallel configuration, and the opening and closing of the control valve in the redundant heating unit can be adjusted accordingly.

[0060] The distributed online heating system provided in this example, through the series-parallel arrangement of each heating unit 1, can provide multiple heating processes in the same heating system or even at the same time, which greatly improves the process coverage capability of the online heating system. Furthermore, by setting up redundant heating units, when a heater failure is detected, it can be immediately cut off and replaced to ensure continuous production temperature. At the same time, this replacement method only causes a momentary fluctuation in the total system flow during switching, which reduces system fluctuation and improves stability.

[0061] Furthermore, in the distributed online heating system provided in this example, the heating unit 1 also includes sensors 1-7, which are connected to the heating tubes 1-6. The sensors 1-7 are not limited to one type or variety of sensors, nor are their installation locations limited. Any sensor integration consisting of some or all of the various parameter sensors such as temperature, flow rate, pressure, and current, installed at any location in the heating system, is an example of sensor application. For instance, the sensors 1-7 include one or more of the following: temperature sensor, flow rate sensor, pressure sensor, and current sensor.

[0062] Furthermore, the distributed online heating system provided in this example also includes a controller 3, which is electrically connected to each heating unit 1 and adjusts the connection mode of the heating unit 1 by receiving the information output by the sensors 1-7.

[0063] In this embodiment, connecting pipe 1-1 serves as the transmission channel between each heating unit 1, and the control valve serves as the opening and closing control element for each branch of the pipe. The control valve is remotely and automatically controlled, and various control methods are possible, such as pneumatic valves, electric valves, and hydraulic valves. The controller 3 acts as the switching and adjustment control hub for the entire system. It receives process parameters from the machine operator as target values ​​and, based on system status information from sensors 1-7, automatically provides a heating system configuration scheme or allows for manual adjustment by the operator. It remotely controls the on / off state of the control valves to achieve different configuration methods. The liquid supply pump 2 is frequency-controlled, allowing for adjustments to the liquid supply volume as needed. Furthermore, this embodiment uses various types of online heaters, pipes, and valves, unaffected by material or heating method, and is suitable for all fluid medium heating requirements.

[0064] The distributed online heating system provided in this example uses multiple small individual online heaters, along with sensors 1-7 for detection, and control valves and controllers 3 on connecting pipelines 1-1 for coordinated regulation. This enables a distributed, flow- and power-adjustable online heating system. The system can freely change the rated flow, heating power, and operating units in the heating system to achieve flexible changes in liquid supply parameters and rapid switching in case of a single heater failure. It can effectively solve the problems of poor overall supply capacity and poor flexibility in current online heating systems.

[0065] Furthermore, the distributed online heating system provided in this example has small individual heaters that are connected to each other via pipelines. Therefore, each heater can be freely and dispersed in any space within the machine, making full use of the spare space inside the machine and greatly enhancing the advantage of low space occupancy in online heating.

[0066] The following description uses a heating system consisting of four heating units 11 as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to four heating units 11. In other embodiments of the present invention, the number of heating units 1 can be adjusted according to the usage requirements.

[0067] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, each heating unit 1 in the system is connected in parallel to form a parallel group. In each heating unit 1 in the parallel group, the first control valve 1-2 and the fourth control valve 1-5 are open, while the second control valve 1-3 and the third control valve 1-4 are closed. This connection method achieves the maximum liquid supply flow rate output.

[0068] like Figure 5As shown, in the system, the first two heating units 1 are connected in series to form a first series group, and the last two heating units 1 are connected in series to form a second series group. The first series group and the second series group are connected in parallel. In each series group, the first control valve 1-2 and the second control valve 1-3 of the first heating unit 1 are open, and the third control valve 1-4 and the fourth control valve 1-5 are closed. In each series group, the fourth control valve 1-5 of the second heating unit 1 is open, and the first control valve 1-2, the second control valve 1-3, and the third control valve 1-4 are closed. This connection method achieves equal distribution of flow rate and temperature.

[0069] like Figure 6 As shown, the first three heating units 1 in the system are connected in series, and the fourth heating unit 1 is a redundant heating unit 1 and is in a standby state. Specifically, the first control valve 1-2 and the second control valve 1-3 of the first heating unit 1 are open, and the third control valve 1-4 and the fourth control valve 1-5 are closed; the second control valve 1-3 of the second heating unit 1 is open, and the other control valves are closed; the fourth control valve 1-5 of the third heating unit 1 is open; the first control valve 1-2, the second control valve 1-3, the third control valve 1-4, and the fourth control valve 1-5 of the fourth heating unit 1 are all closed, and the fourth heating unit 1 is connected in series in a standby state.

[0070] like Figure 7 As shown, when the third heating unit 1 in the system malfunctions, the fourth heating unit 1 is switched to the working state. At this time, the first heating unit 1, the second heating unit 1, and the fourth heating unit 1 are connected in series, and the third heating unit 1 is in a non-working state. Specifically, the first control valve 1-2 and the second control valve 1-3 of the first heating unit 1 are open, and the third control valve 1-4 and the fourth control valve 1-5 are closed; the second control valve 1-3 of the second heating unit 1 is open, and the remaining control valves are closed; the third control valve 1-4 of the third heating unit 1 is open, and the remaining control valves are closed; the fourth control valve 1-5 of the fourth heating unit 1 is open, and the remaining control valves are all closed. The fourth heating unit 1 is connected in series in the working state.

[0071] Accordingly, the present invention also provides an online heating method, which uses the above-mentioned distributed online heating system for online heating, including: sensors 1-7 in heating unit 1 acquiring heating information; and controller 3 in the online heating system receiving the heating information and controlling the number of heating units 1 and the connection method of heating units 1.

[0072] Although the above embodiments have provided a detailed description of the present invention, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications or improvements can be made based on the disclosure of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and such modifications and improvements are all within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A distributed online heating system, characterized in that, It includes a liquid supply pump, a process tank, and at least two heating units connected between the liquid supply pump and the process tank, wherein the heating units are connected in a distributed manner; The heating unit includes: a heating element, a connecting pipe, and a first control valve, a second control valve, a third control valve, and a fourth control valve disposed on the connecting pipe, wherein... The first control valve connects the output end of the liquid supply pump to the input end of the heating tube; The second control valve connects the output end of the heating tube to the input end of the heating tube in the next heating unit; The third control valve connects the input end of the heating tube to the input end of the heating tube in the next heating unit; The fourth control valve is connected to the output end of the heating tube and the input end of the process tank, and the fourth control valve is arranged in parallel with the second control valve.

2. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The connection method includes: each of the heating units is connected in parallel with each other.

3. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The connection method includes: at least two heating units are connected in series, and the two heating units connected in series are then connected in parallel with each of the remaining heating units.

4. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The connection method includes: each of the heating units is connected in series.

5. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The heating units are connected in parallel to form a parallel group. In each heating unit in the parallel group, the first control valve and the fourth control valve are open, and the second control valve and the third control valve are closed.

6. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The heating units are connected in series to form a series group. In the series group, the first control valve of the heating unit at the first end is closed, except for the first control valve of the heating unit at the first end, and the fourth control valve of the heating unit at the last end is closed, except for the fourth control valve of the heating unit at the end. The second control valve of the heating unit at the middle end is open, and the third control valve is closed.

7. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The connection method further includes: in the series or parallel configuration of the heating units, redundant heating units that can be automatically cut off are incorporated to form an alternative configuration of the heating units.

8. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 7, characterized in that, In the alternative configuration, the redundant heating unit closes the first control valve, the third control valve, and the fourth control valve, and opens the second control valve to connect to the intermediate series configuration in a working state; the redundant heating unit closes the first control valve, the second control valve, and the fourth control valve, and opens the third control valve to connect to the intermediate series configuration in an alternative state.

9. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 7, characterized in that, In the alternative configuration, the redundant heating unit closes the second and third control valves and opens the first and fourth control valves to be connected to the parallel configuration in a working state; the redundant heating unit closes the first, second, and fourth control valves and opens the third control valve to be connected to the parallel configuration in an alternative state.

10. The distributed online heating system as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The heating unit also includes a sensor connected to the heating tube.

11. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The sensor includes one or more of the following: temperature sensor, flow sensor, pressure sensor, and current sensor.

12. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The distributed online heating system also includes a controller, which is electrically connected to each heating unit and adjusts the connection mode of the heating units by receiving information output from the sensors.

13. The distributed online heating system as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The first control valve, the second control valve, the third control valve, and the fourth control valve are all remotely controlled.

14. The distributed online heating system as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The first control valve, the second control valve, the third control valve, and the fourth control valve each include one or more of the following: pneumatic valve, electric valve, and hydraulic valve.

15. An online heating method, characterized in that, The distributed online heating system according to any one of claims 1-14 comprises: Sensors in the heating unit acquire heating information; The controller in the online heating system receives the heating information and controls the number of heating units and the connection method of the heating units.

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