Helium compressor system

Abstract

A helium compressor system comprises a gas storage tank, a compression pump, a heat exchanger, an oil separator and an adsorber. The air storage tank is communicated with the compression pump through a first air path, and a first pressure sensor is arranged on the first air path; a gas outlet and an oil outlet of the compression pump are respectively communicated with two inlets of a heat exchanger, a gas outlet of the heat exchanger is communicated with an oil separator, and the oil separator is connected with a second pressure sensor; after the pressure pump is started, the PLC detects whether the pressure values of the pressure sensors meet the preset standard or not, if yes, the system enters the working state, and the PLC detects the pressure difference between the pressure sensors; if the pressure difference meets the preset standard, the system operates normally; otherwise, the PLC controls the alarm to send out an alarm signal. The pressure difference in the system is balanced according to the alarm signal, the phenomenon that the helium compressor is overloaded is avoided, the compression pump continuously operates in the normal state, and the service life of the helium compressor is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of helium compressors, and in particular relates to a helium compressor system. Background Art

[0002] Helium is a medium widely used in ultra-low temperature devices. The helium compressor delivers low-temperature and high-pressure helium with a purity of 99.999% to the cold head. After the cold head or adiabatic expansion refrigeration, the low-pressure helium returns to the helium compressor to complete a thermodynamic cycle. During the circulation / compression process, the pressure pump will generate a large amount of heat energy due to the compression of helium, and external oil cooling is required to cool the motor of the pressure pump. The high and low pressure difference of the system is one of the important factors affecting the oil cooling effect.

[0003] In recent years, with the development of helium compressors in the semiconductor industry, the phenomenon of "one to many" has emerged, that is, one large-volume helium compressor is connected to multiple cryopumps or cold heads for operation. During the use of the helium compressor, the number of connected cryopumps or cold heads exceeds the limit value, that is, the gas volume required by the cryopump or cold head far exceeds the injection volume range of the helium compressor, which will also cause the high pressure of the entire system to be low and the low pressure to be high, resulting in a decrease in the pressure difference. The reduction in the pressure difference will reduce the circulation volume of the compressor oil. Due to the lack of compressor oil cooling and lubrication for a long time, the pressure pump may cause mechanical failure of the helium compressor, high temperature alarm or reduced life. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application provides a helium compressor system with pressure differential protection, which uses a PLC controller and a pressure sensor to determine whether the system is running stably, balances the pressure difference in the system according to an alarm signal, avoids the phenomenon of excessive load on the helium compressor, enables the compression pump to continue to operate under normal conditions, and extends the service life of the helium compressor.

[0005] Other purposes and advantages of the present invention can be further understood from the technical features disclosed in the present invention.

[0006] To achieve one, part, or all of the above purposes or other purposes, the present invention provides a helium compressor system.

[0007] A helium compressor system comprises: a gas storage tank, a compression pump, a heat exchanger, an oil separator and an adsorber;

[0008] The gas storage tank is connected to the compression pump through a first gas path, and a first pressure sensor is provided on the first gas path; the gas outlet and the oil outlet of the compression pump are respectively connected to the two inlets of the heat exchanger, and the gas outlet of the heat exchanger is connected to the oil separator, and the oil separator is connected to a second pressure sensor;

[0009] After the pressure pump is started, the PLC controller detects whether the pressure value of the pressure sensor meets the preset standard. If so, the system enters the working state, and the PLC controller detects the pressure difference between the pressure sensors; if the pressure difference meets the preset standard, the system operates normally; otherwise, the PLC controller controls the alarm to send an alarm signal.

[0010] Before the system enters the working state, it is necessary to detect whether the pressure value of the pressure sensor meets the preset standard, including:

[0011] If the first signal transmitted by the first pressure sensor is less than a first preset value, a low pressure alarm signal is issued and the system cannot operate;

[0012] If the second signal transmitted by the second pressure sensor is greater than a second preset value, a high-pressure alarm signal is issued and the system cannot operate;

[0013] If the first signal is not less than a first preset value and the second signal is not greater than a second preset value, the system enters a working state.

[0014] The PLC controller detects the pressure difference between the pressure sensors, including:

[0015] If the first signal is not less than a first preset value and the second signal is not greater than a second preset value, a difference is calculated between the second signal and the first signal. If the difference is less than a third preset value, the system operates normally; otherwise, a pressure difference alarm signal is issued.

[0016] The compressor oil cooled by the heat exchanger is purified by the first filter and atomized by the first throttle hole, and then enters the compression pump again to cool the motor inside the compression pump.

[0017] The gas outlet of the compression pump is connected to the gas inlet of the heat exchanger through a second gas path, and the second gas path is provided with a first temperature control switch;

[0018] The gas outlet of the heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the oil separator through a third gas path, and the second gas path is provided with a second temperature control switch.

[0019] The compressor oil separated by the oil separator is purified by the second filter and atomized by the second throttle hole, and then returns to the compression pump through the return air port of the compression pump, so as to realize the recycling of the compressor oil.

[0020] The adsorber is connected to the gas outlet of the oil separator, purifies the gas separated by the oil separator, and supplies the gas to the cold head.

[0021] An exhaust circuit is provided between the oil separator and the first gas circuit, and the exhaust circuit discharges excess gas during the cooling process of the cold head through a one-way valve to prevent the generation of a high-pressure alarm signal.

[0022] A balancing circuit is also provided between the oil separator and the first gas circuit, and a two-way solenoid valve is provided on the balancing circuit;

[0023] The two-way solenoid valve is opened after the compression pump stops working, and is used to balance the pressure difference between the oil separator and the first gas path.

[0024] The heat exchanger exchanges heat by cooling the circulating water.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention mainly include:

[0026] The present application provides a helium compressor system with pressure differential protection, which uses a PLC controller and a pressure sensor to determine whether the system is running stably, balances the pressure difference in the system according to an alarm signal, avoids the phenomenon of excessive load on the helium compressor, enables the compression pump to continue to operate under normal conditions, and extends the service life of the helium compressor.

[0027] In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, preferred embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0029] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the helium compressor system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 2 This is a control logic sequence diagram of the helium compressor system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The above and other technical contents, features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only referenced to the directions of the attached drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are used to illustrate and not to limit the present invention.

[0032] The present application provides a helium compressor system with pressure differential protection, which uses a PLC controller and a pressure sensor to determine whether the system is running stably, balances the pressure difference in the system according to an alarm signal, avoids the phenomenon of excessive load on the helium compressor, enables the compression pump to continue to operate under normal conditions, and extends the service life of the helium compressor.

[0033] The following will describe the various embodiments of the present application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in the various embodiments of the present application, many technical details are provided in order to enable the reader to better understand the present application. However, even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments, the technical solution claimed in the present application can be implemented.

[0034] Example

[0035] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of the structure of a helium compressor system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, a helium compressor system includes: a gas storage tank 1, a compression pump 2, a heat exchanger 3, an oil separator 4 and an adsorber 5;

[0037] The air storage tank 1 is connected to the compression pump 2 through a first air path, and a first pressure sensor 8 is arranged on the first air path; the air outlet and the oil outlet of the compression pump 22 are respectively connected to the two inlets of the heat exchanger 3, and the air outlet of the heat exchanger 3 is connected to the oil separator 4, and the oil separator 4 is connected to the second pressure sensor 9; the compressor oil cooled by the heat exchanger 3 is purified by the first filter 13 and atomized by the first throttle hole 15, and then enters the compression pump 2 again to cool the motor inside the compression pump 2; the compressor oil separated by the oil separator 4 is purified by the second filter 12 and atomized by the second throttle hole 14, and then returns to the compression pump 2 through the return air port of the compression pump 2, so as to realize the recycling of the compressor oil; the adsorber 5 is connected to the air outlet of the oil separator 4, purifies the gas separated by the oil separator 4, and supplies it to the cold head 7.

[0038] In addition, the gas outlet of the compression pump 2 is connected to the gas inlet of the heat exchanger 3 through the second gas path, and the second gas path is provided with a first temperature control switch 17; the gas outlet of the heat exchanger 3 is connected to the inlet of the oil separator 4 through the third gas path, and the second gas path is provided with a second temperature control switch 16.

[0039] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the heat exchanger 3 in this embodiment exchanges heat through cooling circulating water and is provided with a second temperature control switch 18 .

[0040] An exhaust circuit and a balancing circuit are arranged between the oil separator 4 and the first gas circuit. The exhaust circuit discharges excess gas during the cooling process of the cold head 7 through a one-way valve 11 to prevent the generation of a high-pressure alarm signal. A two-way solenoid valve 10 is arranged on the balancing circuit. The two-way solenoid valve 10 is opened after the compression pump 2 stops working to balance the pressure difference between the oil separator 4 and the first gas circuit.

[0041] Figure 2 This is a control logic sequence diagram of the helium compressor system provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, after the compression pump 2 is started, the PLC controller detects whether the pressure value of the pressure sensor meets the preset standard. If it does, the system enters the working state, and the PLC controller detects the pressure difference between the pressure sensors; if the pressure difference meets the preset standard, the system operates normally; otherwise, the PLC controller controls the alarm to send an alarm signal.

[0043] Specifically, if the first signal P1 transmitted by the first pressure sensor 8 is less than the first preset value, a low pressure alarm signal is issued and the system cannot operate;

[0044] If the second signal P2 transmitted by the second pressure sensor 9 is greater than the second preset value, a high-pressure alarm signal is issued and the system cannot operate;

[0045] If the first signal P1 is not less than the first preset value and the second signal P2 is not greater than the second preset value, the system enters the working state and calculates the difference between the second signal P2 and the first signal P1. If the difference is less than the third preset value, the system operates normally; otherwise, a pressure difference alarm signal is issued.

[0046] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first preset value in this embodiment is 0.1 MPa, the second preset value is 2.7 MPa, and the third preset value is 1.4 MPa.

[0047] The present application provides a helium compressor system with pressure differential protection, which uses a PLC controller and a pressure sensor to determine whether the system is running stably, balances the pressure difference in the system according to an alarm signal, avoids the phenomenon of excessive load on the helium compressor, enables the compression pump to continue to operate under normal conditions, and extends the service life of the helium compressor.

[0048] In order to facilitate the description, some common English nouns or letters used in the present invention are only used for exemplary reference rather than restrictive interpretation or specific usage, and the protection scope of the present invention should not be limited by their possible Chinese translations or specific letters.

[0049] It should also be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are merely used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.

Claims

1. A helium compressor system, characterized in that: include: Gas storage tanks, compression pumps, heat exchangers, oil separators and adsorbers; The gas storage tank is connected to the compression pump through a first gas path, and a first pressure sensor is provided on the first gas path; the gas outlet and the oil outlet of the compression pump are respectively connected to the two inlets of the heat exchanger, and the gas outlet of the heat exchanger is connected to the oil separator, and the oil separator is connected to a second pressure sensor; After the compression pump is started, the PLC controller detects whether the pressure value of the pressure sensor meets the preset standard. If so, the system enters the working state, and the PLC controller detects the pressure difference between the pressure sensors; if the pressure difference meets the preset standard, the system operates normally; otherwise, the PLC controller controls the alarm to send an alarm signal.

2. A helium compressor system according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before the system enters the working state, it is necessary to detect whether the pressure value of the pressure sensor meets the preset standard, including: If the first signal transmitted by the first pressure sensor is less than a first preset value, a low pressure alarm signal is issued and the system cannot operate; If the second signal transmitted by the second pressure sensor is greater than a second preset value, a high-pressure alarm signal is issued and the system cannot operate; If the first signal is not less than a first preset value and the second signal is not greater than a second preset value, the system enters a working state.

3. A helium compressor system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The PLC controller detects the pressure difference between the pressure sensors, including: If the first signal is not less than a first preset value and the second signal is not greater than a second preset value, a difference is calculated between the second signal and the first signal. If the difference is less than a third preset value, the system operates normally; otherwise, a pressure difference alarm signal is issued.

4. A helium compressor system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The compressor oil cooled by the heat exchanger is purified by the first filter and atomized by the first throttle hole, and then enters the compression pump again to cool the motor inside the compression pump.

5. A helium compressor system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The gas outlet of the compression pump is connected to the gas inlet of the heat exchanger through a second gas path, and the second gas path is provided with a first temperature control switch; The gas outlet of the heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the oil separator through a third gas path, and the second gas path is provided with a second temperature control switch.

6. A helium compressor system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The compressor oil separated by the oil separator is purified by the second filter and atomized by the second throttle hole, and then returns to the compression pump through the return air port of the compression pump, so as to realize the recycling of the compressor oil.

7. A helium compressor system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adsorber is connected to the gas outlet of the oil separator, purifies the gas separated by the oil separator, and supplies the gas to the cold head.

8. A helium compressor system according to claim 1, characterized in that: An exhaust circuit is provided between the oil separator and the first gas circuit, and the exhaust circuit discharges excess gas during the cooling process of the cold head through a one-way valve to prevent the generation of a high-pressure alarm signal.

9. A helium compressor system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A balancing circuit is also provided between the oil separator and the first gas circuit, and a two-way solenoid valve is provided on the balancing circuit; The two-way solenoid valve is opened after the compression pump stops working, and is used to balance the pressure difference between the oil separator and the first gas path.

10. A helium compressor system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat exchanger exchanges heat by cooling the circulating water.

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