Solid material sublimation evaporator device and optical fiber preparation system

Abstract

This invention discloses a solid material sublimation evaporator device and an optical fiber fabrication system, relating to the technical field of optical fiber fabrication. The evaporation device includes a material tray assembly, an inlet pipe, and an outlet pipe. The material tray assembly includes a sequentially stacked and inter-sealed annular cover plate, a first annular disk, and a second annular disk. The inner annular holes of the annular cover plate, the first annular disk, and the second annular disk are interconnected. A first groove is formed on the side of the first annular disk facing the annular cover plate, and a second groove is formed on the side of the second annular disk facing the annular cover plate. A first through hole is formed on the annular cover plate, and the inlet pipe passes through the first through hole and communicates with the first groove. A first hole penetrating the first annular disk is formed at the bottom of the first groove, connecting the first groove to the second groove. A second hole penetrating the second annular disk is formed at the bottom of the second groove, communicating with the outlet pipe. This invention solves the technical problem of poor evaporation effect in existing evaporator devices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of optical fiber fabrication, and more particularly to a solid material sublimation evaporator device and an optical fiber fabrication system. Background Technology

[0002] Rare-earth-doped active optical fibers are core components in modern fiber lasers. There are two main types of fabrication processes for rare-earth-doped active optical fibers: 1. MCVD + solution method; 2. MCVD + high-temperature vapor phase method (CDS). The high-temperature vapor phase method uses in-situ doping of solid materials, which is more efficient and offers better control over product stability compared to the solution method. The high-temperature vapor phase method involves heating solid rare-earth chelates and related solid materials into vapor, which is then carried into the reaction tube by He carrier gas. The core component of rare-earth doping is the high-temperature evaporation system of the solid material; ensuring stable evaporation pressure and flow rate is crucial for the fabrication of rare-earth-doped active optical fibers.

[0003] Traditional solid material evaporators are disc-shaped, and multiple discs can be stacked. Each disc contains a small amount of material, and the discs are placed inside a metal protective shell. The main function of the metal shell is to isolate the internal and external atmospheres and protect the evaporator's airtightness. The entire metal shell is placed in a heating chamber. As the chamber heats up, the evaporator temperature rises, and the material evaporates into vapor, which enters the reaction tube along with the carrier gas for reaction. Because temperature stability is required, the size of the disc is greatly limited, and the material loading capacity is correspondingly very small. At the same time, because the flow path of the carrier gas is from the entire surface of the disc, there is no fixed gas path, and the carrier gas effect is also unstable. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a solid material sublimation evaporator device and an optical fiber preparation system to solve the technical problem of poor performance of solid material evaporator devices.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the first technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A solid material sublimation evaporator device is disclosed. The evaporation device includes a material tray assembly, an inlet pipe, and an outlet pipe. The material tray assembly includes an annular cover plate, a first annular disk, and a second annular disk that are stacked sequentially and sealed with gaps. The inner annular holes of the annular cover plate, the first annular disk, and the second annular disk are connected. The first annular disk has a first groove on one side facing the annular cover plate, and the second annular disk has a second groove on one side facing the annular cover plate. The annular cover plate has a first through hole, and the inlet pipe passes through the first through hole and can communicate with the first groove. The bottom of the first groove has a first hole penetrating the first annular disk, which connects the first groove with the second groove. The bottom of the second groove has a second hole penetrating the second annular disk, which can communicate with the outlet pipe.

[0007] In some embodiments of the solid material sublimation evaporator device, the outer diameter of the first annular disk is the same as that of the second annular disk, the inner diameter of the first annular disk is the same as that of the second annular disk, and the central axes of the first annular disk and the second annular disk are coincident.

[0008] In some embodiments of the solid material sublimation evaporator device, a first boss is provided at the bottom of the first groove corresponding to the position of the first hole, and the first hole penetrates the first boss; and / or, a second boss is provided at the bottom of the second groove corresponding to the position of the second hole, and the second hole penetrates the second boss.

[0009] In some embodiments of the solid material sublimation evaporator device, the bottom of the first groove is spirally arranged around the inner annular hole of the first annular disk to have a first end, a second end, and an extended groove section connecting the first end and the second end. The air inlet pipe is connected to the first end, and the opening position of the first hole is located inside the second end.

[0010] And / or, the bottom of the second groove is spirally arranged around the inner annular hole of the second annular disk to have a third end, a fourth end and an extended groove segment connecting the third end and the fourth end, the first hole communicating with the third end, and the opening position of the second hole located inside the fourth end.

[0011] In some embodiments of the solid material sublimation evaporator device, there are two first annular disks, and a second annular disk is disposed between the two first annular disks. The first hole on the first annular disk away from the annular cover plate is connected to the gas outlet pipe.

[0012] Alternatively, there may be multiple first annular disks and multiple second annular disks, which are stacked in an arrangement of first annular disk, second annular disk, and first annular disk.

[0013] In some embodiments of the solid material sublimation evaporator device, sealing sheets are provided between the annular cover plate and the first annular disk, as well as between the first annular disk and the second annular disk.

[0014] In some embodiments of the solid material sublimation evaporator device, the sealing sheet has several through holes at the groove position corresponding to the annular disk to form a mesh structure of the sealing sheet, and the orthographic projection of the inner wall of the through holes toward the bottom surface of the groove is located inside the bottom surface of the groove.

[0015] In some embodiments of the solid material sublimation evaporator device, the annular cover plate is further provided with a second through hole penetrating the annular cover plate, and the evaporator device also includes a temperature measuring element and a container. The container passes through the second through hole and extends into the first groove, and the temperature measuring element is housed in the container.

[0016] In some embodiments of the solid material sublimation evaporator apparatus, the evaporator apparatus further includes a heating control module and a temperature detection element. The temperature detection element is used to detect the temperature of the outer wall of the material tray assembly. The heating control module is communicatively connected to both the temperature detection element and the temperature sensing element to acquire the detection data from the temperature sensing element and perform control. The control steps include the following:

[0017] Set the preset temperature value T1 of the temperature sensing element;

[0018] Set the maximum temperature difference Δt between the temperature sensing element and the temperature detection element;

[0019] When the actual temperature detected by the temperature sensing element reaches the sum of T1 and Δt, heating is stopped until the actual temperature detected by the temperature sensing element reaches T1.

[0020] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the second technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0021] An optical fiber fabrication system includes the solid material sublimation evaporator device described in the above embodiment.

[0022] Implementing the embodiments of the present invention will have at least the following beneficial effects:

[0023] The aforementioned solid material sublimation evaporator device, when applied to an optical fiber fabrication system, enables both the device and the system to achieve excellent evaporation performance. Specifically, the first and second annular disks of this invention are respectively provided with a first groove and a second groove, which can be used to accommodate and place materials for evaporation. Furthermore, both the first and second annular disks are annular structures with inner annular holes, which effectively improves the overall temperature uniformity of the evaporator device. The temperature of the entire evaporator is more uniform, and there will be no obvious local overcooling or overheating. Overheating will cause the material to decompose and denature, resulting in failure, while overcooling will cause the material to condense into a solid, blocking the airflow pipes. This solves the technical problem of poor evaporation performance in existing evaporator devices. Attached Figure Description

[0024] 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.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the evaporator device in one embodiment;

[0026] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the evaporator device shown.

[0027] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Cross-sectional view of the exploded structure of the evaporator device shown.

[0028] in:

[0029] 1. Inlet pipe; 2. Outlet pipe; 3. Container; 4. Annular cover plate; 41. First through hole; 42. Second through hole; 5. First annular disc; 51. First groove; 511. First end; 512. Second end; 52. First boss; 6. Second annular disc; 61. Second groove; 611. Third end; 612. Fourth end; 62. Second boss; 7. Sealing plate; 71. Slot hole. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many other different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0031] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly attached to the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this document are for illustrative purposes only.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0033] like Figure 1-3 As shown, in an embodiment of a solid material sublimation evaporator, the evaporation device includes a material tray assembly, an inlet pipe 1, and an outlet pipe 2. The material tray assembly includes an annular cover plate 4, a first annular disk 5, and a second annular disk 6, which are stacked sequentially and sealed with gaps. The inner annular holes of the annular cover plate 4, the first annular disk 5, and the second annular disk 6 are connected. The first annular disk 5 has a first groove 51 on the side facing the annular cover plate 4, and the second annular disk 6 has a second groove 61 on the side facing the annular cover plate 4. The annular cover plate 4 has a first through hole 41, through which the inlet pipe 1 passes and can communicate with the first groove 51. The bottom of the first groove 51 has a first hole penetrating the first annular disk 5, which connects the first groove 51 with the second groove 61. The bottom of the second groove 61 has a second hole penetrating the second annular disk 6, which can communicate with the outlet pipe 2.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first annular disk 5 and the second annular disk 6 are respectively provided with a first groove 51 and a second groove 61, which can be used to contain and place materials for evaporation. The first annular disk 5 and the second annular disk 6 are both annular structures with inner annular holes. In this way, the overall temperature uniformity of the evaporator device can be effectively improved, the temperature of the entire evaporator is more uniform, and there will be no obvious local overcooling or overheating. Overheating will cause the material to decompose and denature and become ineffective, while overcooling will cause the material to condense into a solid and block the airflow pipe, thereby solving the technical problem of poor evaporation effect of existing evaporator devices.

[0035] In one embodiment of a solid material sublimation evaporator device, the outer diameter of the first annular disk 5 is the same as the outer diameter of the second annular disk 6, the inner diameter of the first annular disk 5 is the same as the inner diameter of the second annular disk 6, and the central axes of the first annular disk 5 and the second annular disk 6 are aligned.

[0036] In this embodiment, by setting the inner and outer diameters of the first annular disk 5 and the second annular disk 6 to be the same, it is easy to stack and align the two, thereby achieving a better sealing effect.

[0037] It is understood that in this embodiment, the first annular disk 5 and the second annular disk 6 can be identical structural components, thus reducing the number of molds required during processing.

[0038] In one embodiment of a solid material sublimation evaporator device, a first boss 52 is provided at the bottom of the first groove 51 corresponding to the position of the first hole, and the first hole penetrates the first boss 52. And / or, a second boss 62 is provided at the bottom of the second groove 61 corresponding to the position of the second hole, and the second hole penetrates the second boss 62.

[0039] In this embodiment, it is understood that both the first groove 51 and the second groove 61 are used to place materials. At high temperatures, solid materials will melt. By setting the first boss 52 and the second boss 62 at the corresponding positions of the first hole and the second hole, steps can be formed to raise the position of the opening of the first hole and the opening of the second hole. This can prevent the material in the first groove 51 from flowing out through the first hole in the molten state, and prevent the material in the second groove 61 from flowing out through the second hole in the molten state.

[0040] In one embodiment of a solid material sublimation evaporator device, the bottom of a first groove 51 is spirally arranged around the inner annular hole of a first annular disk 5, having a first end 511, a second end 512, and an extension section connecting the first end 511 and the second end 512. An air inlet pipe 1 communicates with the first end 511, and the opening of the first hole is located within the second end 512. Alternatively, the bottom of a second groove 61 is spirally arranged around the inner annular hole of a second annular disk 6, having a third end 611, a fourth end 612, and an extension section connecting the third end 611 and the fourth end 612. The first hole communicates with the third end 611, and the opening of the second hole is located within the fourth end 612.

[0041] In this embodiment, by setting the bottom of the first groove 51 as a spiral, the travel distance of the carrier gas can be increased. After the gas enters from one end of the first groove 51 and completes the entire travel distance, it flows out from the other end. The longer travel distance can better promote the material to generate steam and avoid insufficient steam due to a short travel distance. Similarly, by setting the second groove 61 as a spiral, the travel distance of the gas in the second groove 61 can be increased, thereby improving the evaporation effect. In addition, the longer travel distance can also make the evaporator device have a stable evaporation area and good stability.

[0042] In addition, it is understandable that when both the first groove 51 and the second groove 61 are spiral, the positions of the first hole and the second hole are opposite. If the first hole is set at the end of the inner ring, then the second hole is set at the end of the outer ring, and vice versa.

[0043] In conjunction with the previous embodiments, the spiral grooves combined with the annular disk can make the temperature more uniform throughout the evaporator device, further improving uniformity and avoiding local overheating or undercooling.

[0044] In one embodiment of a solid material sublimation evaporator, there are two first annular disks 5, and a second annular disk 6 is disposed between the two first annular disks 5. The first hole on the first annular disk 5, which is away from the annular cover plate 4, is connected to the gas outlet pipe 2. Alternatively, there are multiple first annular disks 5 and multiple second annular disks 6, which are stacked in an arrangement of first annular disk 5, second annular disk 6, and first annular disk 5.

[0045] In this embodiment, by setting up stacked annular discs, the amount of material in the same batch can be increased, the frequency of material changes can be reduced, the downtime for material changes can be reduced, and the production efficiency can be improved. The number of discs can be increased or decreased arbitrarily according to actual use to meet the needs of different manufacturers. Combining with the previous embodiment of the spiral arrangement of the first groove 51 and the second groove 61, when multiple annular discs are stacked, they are still arranged in a spiral connection, with each annular disc completing a full spiral before entering the next annular disc groove.

[0046] In the previous embodiments, the sealing between the first annular disk 5 and the annular cover plate 4, as well as between the first annular disk 5 and the second annular disk 6, can be achieved by pressing them together tightly. However, in an embodiment of a solid material sublimation evaporator device, sealing sheets 7 are provided between the annular cover plate 4 and the first annular disk 5, and between the first annular disk 5 and the second annular disk 6.

[0047] In this embodiment, the sealing sheet 7 effectively ensures the seal between the two parts, improves the sealing performance, and prevents external air from contacting the internal material, ensuring that the material's performance is not affected by moisture and oxygen in the air. Specifically, the sealing sheet 7 can be made of a high-temperature and corrosion-resistant organic polymer material, which has a certain degree of elasticity and is deformable. Compared with the direct contact seal of the annular disc, the sealing sheet 7 can achieve a better sealing effect. Furthermore, as an intermediate sealing element, the sealing sheet 7 can also cover the first groove 51 and the second groove 61, preventing the airflow from deviating from the path of the first groove 51 and the second groove 61.

[0048] In one embodiment of a solid material sublimation evaporator device, a plurality of through holes 71 are provided on the sealing sheet 7 at the groove position corresponding to the annular disk to form a mesh structure of the sealing sheet 7, and the orthographic projection of the inner wall of the through hole 71 toward the bottom surface of the groove is located inside the bottom surface of the groove.

[0049] In this embodiment, in conjunction with the previous embodiments, both the first groove 51 and the second groove 61 are spiral-shaped. However, in this embodiment, by providing a slot 71 on the sealing sheet 7, the structure of the sealing sheet 7 can be made into a mesh. The slot 71 corresponds to the first groove 51 or the second groove 61, which can ensure that the sealing sheet 7 will not loosen and fall into the groove and reduce the difficulty of installing the sealing sheet 7, and will not affect the sealing effect. Under the mesh structure sealing sheet 7, the airflow still follows the path of the first groove 51 and the second groove 61.

[0050] In one embodiment of a solid material sublimation evaporator device, the annular cover plate 4 is further provided with a second through hole 42 penetrating the annular cover plate 4. The evaporator device also includes a temperature measuring element and a container 3. The container 3 passes through the second through hole 42 and extends into the first groove 51. The temperature measuring element is housed in the container 3.

[0051] In this embodiment, by placing the temperature sensing element into the container 3 and then extending it into the first groove 51, the temperature inside the evaporator can be measured. Specifically, the container 3 is preferably a cylindrical structure with a bottom that is not connected to the first groove 51, thus protecting the temperature sensing element.

[0052] In one embodiment of a solid material sublimation evaporator, the evaporator further includes a heating control module and a temperature detection element. The temperature detection element is used to detect the temperature of the outer wall of the material tray assembly. The heating control module is communicatively connected to both the temperature detection element and the temperature sensing element, enabling it to acquire the detection data from the temperature sensing element and perform control. The control steps include the following:

[0053] Set the preset temperature value T1 for the temperature sensing element.

[0054] Set the maximum temperature difference Δt between the temperature sensing element and the temperature detection element.

[0055] Heating is stopped when the actual temperature detected by the temperature sensing element reaches the sum of T1 and Δt, until the actual temperature detected by the temperature sensing element reaches T1.

[0056] In this embodiment, the heating control mode of the evaporator device has been improved. In conjunction with the previous embodiment, this embodiment sets up two temperature measuring components: one is a temperature measuring element used to measure the temperature inside the evaporator device, and the other is a temperature detection element used to measure the temperature of the outer wall of the evaporator device. It can be understood that, due to different detection points, the temperatures of the two at the same time point are generally different. The temperature of the inner wall of the evaporator device will reach the T1 value faster. By adjusting the temperature, when the temperature value measured by the temperature measuring element reaches the sum of T1 and Δt, the heating will stop and the temperature will be maintained at this temperature until the actual detection value of the temperature detection element reaches T1. With this setting, excessive local overheating at the heating end can be avoided, which could lead to material decomposition. At the same time, the heating efficiency is also taken into account, resulting in a better evaporation effect.

[0057] Alternatively, the evaporator unit can be enclosed by a casing, with the temperature sensing element placed in the gap between the evaporator unit and the inner wall of the casing. Specifically, both the temperature sensing element and the temperature measuring element can be thermocouple components.

[0058] Finally, the annular cover plate 4 and the first annular disk 5, and the first annular disk 5 and the second annular disk 6, can be sealed and fixed by inserting bolts on the outer periphery. The installation sequence and torque can be obtained through simulation to ensure the overall sealing performance of the evaporator device.

[0059] The present invention also relates to an optical fiber fabrication system, including the solid material sublimation evaporator device described in the preceding embodiments.

[0060] By applying this evaporator device to the optical fiber fabrication system, the evaporator device has a fixed gas flow path, which ensures that the carrier gas has a sufficiently long transport distance, so as to provide a stable carrier gas for the optical fiber fabrication system, effectively improving the product yield. In addition, the large material loading capacity can avoid the large differences in products within the same batch caused by frequent material replacement.

[0061] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0062] The above embodiments merely illustrate several implementation methods of the present invention, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A solid material sublimation evaporator device, characterized in that, The evaporator device includes a feed tray assembly, an inlet pipe, and an outlet pipe. The feed tray assembly includes an annular cover plate, a first annular disc, and a second annular disc, which are stacked sequentially and sealed with gaps. The inner annular holes of the annular cover plate, the first annular disc, and the second annular disc are connected. The first annular disc has a first groove on the side facing the annular cover plate, and the second annular disc has a second groove on the side facing the annular cover plate. The annular cover plate has a first through hole, and the inlet pipe passes through the first through hole and can communicate with the first groove. The bottom of the first groove has a first hole penetrating the first annular disc, which connects the first groove with the second groove. The bottom of the second groove has a second hole penetrating the second annular disc, which can communicate with the outlet pipe.

2. The evaporator apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The outer diameter of the first annular disk is the same as that of the second annular disk, and the inner diameter of the first annular disk is the same as that of the second annular disk. The central axes of the first annular disk and the second annular disk are coincident.

3. The evaporator apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the first groove is provided with a first protrusion at the position corresponding to the first hole, and the first hole passes through the first protrusion; and / or, the bottom of the second groove is provided with a second protrusion at the position corresponding to the second hole, and the second hole passes through the second protrusion.

4. The evaporator apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the first groove is spirally arranged around the inner annular hole of the first annular disk, so as to have a first end, a second end and an extended groove segment connecting the first end and the second end. The air intake pipe is connected to the first end, and the opening position of the first hole is located inside the second end. And / or, the bottom of the second groove is spirally arranged around the inner annular hole of the second annular disk to have a third end, a fourth end and an extended groove segment connecting the third end and the fourth end, the first hole communicating with the third end, and the opening position of the second hole located inside the fourth end.

5. The evaporator apparatus as described in claim 1 or 4, characterized in that, There are two first annular discs, and the second annular disc is disposed between the two first annular discs. The first hole on the first annular disc away from the annular cover plate is connected to the air outlet pipe. Alternatively, there may be multiple first annular disks and multiple second annular disks, which are stacked in an arrangement of first annular disk, second annular disk, and first annular disk.

6. The evaporator apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, A sealing sheet is provided between the annular cover plate and the first annular disk, as well as between the first annular disk and the second annular disk.

7. The evaporator apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that, The sealing sheet has several through holes at the corresponding groove positions of the annular disk to form a mesh structure. The orthographic projection of the inner wall of the through holes toward the bottom surface of the groove is located inside the bottom surface of the groove.

8. The evaporator apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The annular cover plate is also provided with a second through hole penetrating the annular cover plate. The evaporator device also includes a temperature measuring element and a container. The container passes through the second through hole and extends into the first groove. The temperature measuring element is housed in the container.

9. The evaporator apparatus as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, The evaporator device further includes a heating control module and a temperature detection element. The temperature detection element is used to detect the temperature of the outer wall of the feed tray assembly. The heating control module is communicatively connected to both the temperature detection element and the temperature sensing element, enabling it to acquire and control the data detected by the temperature sensing element. The control steps include... the following: Set the preset temperature value T1 of the temperature sensing element; Set the maximum temperature difference Δt between the temperature sensing element and the temperature detection element; When the actual temperature detected by the temperature sensing element reaches the sum of T1 and Δt, heating is stopped until the actual temperature detected by the temperature sensing element reaches T1.

10. An optical fiber fabrication system, characterized in that, Includes the solid material sublimation evaporator apparatus as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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