Vacuum pump gas adapter

Abstract

A vacuum pump gas adapter for coupling a gas motor with a supply tube is disclosed. The vacuum pump gas adapter includes a coupling body for delivering gas from a gas motor to a supply tube, the coupling body defining a conduit, the conduit has an inlet portion with an inlet interior cross-sectional area, an outlet portion with an outlet interior cross-sectional area smaller than the inlet interior cross-sectional area, and a transition portion between the inlet portion and the outlet portion, the transition portion has a transition inner cross-sectional area that transitions between the inlet inner cross-sectional area and the outlet inner cross-sectional area. And a supply tube received by the coupling body and configured to receive gas from the outlet portion and delivered to the vacuum pump.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a gas turret. Background Art

[0002] Gas adapters are known. A gas adapter is a connector typically used to connect a gas supply to a gas supply conduit. For example, a gas adapter can be connected between a gas motor and a gas supply pipe to transfer gas between the gas motor and the supply pipe. While useful, gas adapters can also have unexpected drawbacks. Therefore, there is a need for improved gas adapters. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to a first aspect, a vacuum pump gas adapter for connecting a gas motor to a vacuum pump is provided, comprising: a connecting body for conveying gas from the gas motor to a supply pipe, the connecting body defining a conduit having an inlet portion with an inlet internal cross-sectional area, an outlet portion with an outlet internal cross-sectional area smaller than the inlet internal cross-sectional area, and a transition portion between the inlet portion and the outlet portion, the transition portion having a transition internal cross-sectional area that transitions between the inlet internal cross-sectional area and the outlet internal cross-sectional area; and a supply pipe received by the connecting body and configured to receive gas from the outlet portion and convey it to the vacuum pump.

[0004] A first aspect recognizes that a problem with existing gas adapters is that they may cause backpressure sensors to activate, triggering a warning of a potential blockage. This may in turn cause downstream equipment receiving gas from a gas motor to halt operation while the potential blockage is investigated. This is because the shape and / or configuration of the gas adapter may cause the backpressure generated by the gas adapter to vary widely, depending on how it is positioned within the gas supply. Therefore, a vacuum pump gas adapter or coupling is provided. The vacuum pump gas adapter can be used to connect a gas motor or supply to a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump gas adapter can include a coupling body or structure for conveying gas from the gas motor. The coupling body can define or provide a conduit. The conduit can have or be provided with an inlet portion or region. The inlet portion can have or define an inlet internal cross-sectional area. The conduit can have or define an outlet portion or region. The outlet portion can have or define an outlet internal cross-sectional area that is smaller than or reduced from the inlet internal cross-sectional area. The conduit can have or provide a transition portion or region. The transition portion can be located between the inlet portion and the outlet portion. The transition portion can be downstream of the inlet portion. The outlet portion can be downstream of the transition portion. The transition portion may have or define a transition internal cross-sectional area that transitions, changes, or varies between the inlet cross-sectional area and the outlet cross-sectional area. The vacuum pump gas adapter may include a supply tube. The supply tube may be configured or arranged to be received by, coupled to, or engaged with the coupling body. The supply tube may be configured or arranged to receive gas from the outlet portion for delivery to the vacuum pump. In this manner, the inlet portion may be provided with an internal cross-sectional area that is larger than the outlet internal cross-sectional area, which increases the fluid conductivity of the gas adapter and helps reduce backpressure, which reduces the likelihood of any backpressure sensor being activated, which in turn reduces any clogging alarms and reduces the likelihood of operational suspension of any downstream equipment.

[0005] The transition interior cross-sectional area of ​​the transition portion may narrow, decrease, or contract from the inlet portion to the outlet portion.

[0006] The transition internal cross-sectional area of ​​the transition portion may narrow or decrease from the inlet internal cross-sectional area to the outlet internal cross-sectional area.

[0007] The transition inner cross-sectional area of ​​the transition portion may be tapered.

[0008] The inlet interior cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet portion may have or define a constant, unchanging or identical interior cross-sectional area along the first axial length.

[0009] The internal cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet portion may substantially match or be the same as the internal cross-sectional area of ​​the gas supply conduit of the gas motor.

[0010] The inlet inner cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet portion can substantially match or be the same as the cross-sectional area of ​​the gas flow from the gas motor. Matching the cross-sectional areas enables the flow of the gas flow to be captured by the gas adapter, helping to increase the gas conductance of the gas adapter and reduce back pressure.

[0011] The outlet internal cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet portion may have a constant, unchanging or identical internal cross-sectional area along the second axial length.

[0012] The outer diameter of the first portion or region of the coupling body can be sized and / or configured to fit the inner diameter of the coupling groove of the gas motor. In other words, the first portion of the coupling body can be sized to be received within the coupling groove.

[0013] The first portion may include an inlet portion.

[0014] The first portion may also include a transition portion.

[0015] The axial length of the coupling body may be sized and / or configured to abut, contact or bear against an end face of the coupling groove. This helps provide uniform positioning of the gas adapter within the coupling groove.

[0016] The inlet internal cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet portion can substantially match or be equal to the cross-sectional area of ​​the gas flow from the gas motor into the coupling groove. Matching the cross-sectional areas helps increase the gas conductance of the gas adapter and reduce the back pressure that can be measured by the back pressure sensor.

[0017] The inlet portion can be sized and / or configured to define an axial end surface that does not interfere with or obstruct the flow of gas from the gas motor into the coupling groove. Again, this helps increase the gas conductance of the gas adapter and reduce the back pressure that can be measured by the back pressure sensor.

[0018] The outer diameter of the second portion of the coupling body may be sized to match the inner diameter of the supply tube.

[0019] The second portion may include an outlet portion.

[0020] According to a second aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising the vacuum pump gas adapter of the first aspect and at least one of a gas motor and a vacuum pump.

[0021] The device may include all the features of the vacuum pump gas adapter described above.

[0022] Further particular and preferred aspects are described in the accompanying independent and dependent claims. Features of the dependent claims may be combined with features of the independent claims as appropriate, and in combinations other than those explicitly described in the claims.

[0023] Where an apparatus feature is described as being operable to provide a function, it will be understood that this includes apparatus features that provide the function or that are adapted or configured to provide the function. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] Figure 1 Schematically illustrates the arrangement of a conventional gas adapter located within a gas supply conduit of a gas motor;

[0026] Figure 2 FIG. 1 illustrates a coupling body of a gas adapter according to one embodiment;

[0027] Figure 3 Shown through Figure 2 an axial cross-sectional view of the coupling body; and

[0028] Figure 4 and 5 Graphic Figure 2 The gas adapter has an O-ring seal located in the supply conduit of the gas motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Before discussing embodiments in more detail, an overview will first be provided. Certain embodiments provide a vacuum pump gas adapter or coupling structure that connects a gas supply to a vacuum pump. The coupling structure defines a conduit having an enlarged inlet opening compared to a narrower outlet opening. The conduit narrows between the inlet opening and the outlet opening. The coupling structure includes a supply tube that couples to the vacuum pump. This provides improved gas conductivity compared to conventional arrangements.

[0030] Figure 1 The schematic diagram shows the arrangement of a conventional gas adapter 100 located within a gas supply conduit 110 of a gas motor 120. The gas adapter 100 has a coupling body whose outer diameter generally matches the inner diameter of the gas supply conduit 110, and an O-ring seal 130 that fluidly seals any gap between the gas adapter 100 and the gas supply conduit 110. The gas adapter 100 is positioned within the gas supply conduit 110 and the gas motor 120 supplies gas to the gas supply conduit 110, which is delivered to a downstream device (not shown) via the gas adapter 100. However, Figure 1 A problem with the arrangement shown in is that a pressure sensor (not shown) within the gas motor 120 may activate, indicating a blockage in the flow of gas from the gas motor 120 depending on the configuration and / or positioning of the gas adapter 100 .

[0031] Figure 2The coupling body 200 of a vacuum pump gas adapter according to one embodiment is shown. The coupling body 200 includes a first portion 210 and an adjacent second portion 220. The first portion 210 defines a generally cylindrical outer surface having an annular groove 230 shaped and configured to receive an O-ring seal (not shown). The first portion has a chamfered area 240 at an axial end of the first portion 210 distal from the second portion 220. The first portion 210 has an outer diameter sized to fit the inner diameter of the gas supply conduit 110. The outer surface of the second portion 220 is also generally cylindrical and has an outer diameter sized to fit the inner diameter of a supply tube (not shown). The outer diameter of the second portion 220 is smaller than the outer diameter of the first portion 210 to accommodate the thickness of the supply tube.

[0032] Figure 3 An axial cross-sectional view through the coupling body 200 is shown. As can be seen, the coupling body 200 defines a conduit 250. The conduit 250 includes an inlet portion 260 adjacent a downstream transition portion 270, which in turn is adjacent a downstream outlet portion 280. The inlet portion 260 of the conduit 250 is generally cylindrical in shape and has an inner diameter D1 that is greater than the inner diameter D2 of the outlet portion 280. The outlet portion 280 of the conduit 250 is also generally cylindrical in shape. The transition portion 270 of the conduit 250 is shaped to transition between diameters D1 and D2. In this example, the transition portion 270 is frustoconical, but it will be understood that the inner surface of the transition portion 270 can be stepped or curved.

[0033] Figure 4 The illustrated vacuum pump gas adapter 300 includes a coupling body 200 and an O-ring seal 130 that is completely located within the supply conduit 110 of the gas motor 120. The inner diameter D2 of the outlet portion 280 of the conduit 250 is sized so that the second portion can be accommodated within the inner diameter of the supply tube (not shown). The inner diameter D1 of the inlet portion 260 of the conduit 250 is selected to be larger than the diameter D2. Typically, the diameter D1 is sized to match the diameter of the gas supply hole 140 of the gas motor 120, which supplies gas to the gas supply conduit 110. In other words, the diameter D1 is sized to have a cross-sectional area that substantially matches the cross-sectional area of ​​the gas flow supplied by the gas motor 120 through the gas supply hole 140 and into the gas supply conduit 110 to improve its conductivity. As can be seen in FIG. Figure 4As seen in FIG, the axial end of the first portion 110 abutting the end of the gas supply conduit 110 does not interfere with or obstruct the flow of gas entering the gas supply conduit 110. Furthermore, the first portion 210 has an axial length sized to enable the gas adapter 300 to be fully recessed into the gas supply conduit 110 and abut an annular shoulder 150 defining one end of the gas supply conduit 110. Gas is supplied from the gas motor 120 through the gas supply aperture 140 to the inlet portion 260 of the conduit 250, conveyed to the downstream transition portion 270 of the conduit 250, into the downstream outlet portion 280 of the conduit, and into the supply tube for supply to a vacuum pump (not shown). Figure 5 The diagram is located at Figure 4 1 , a vacuum pump gas adapter 300 is positioned within the inlet of the supply conduit 110 of the gas motor 120 (with the O-ring seal 130 omitted for clarity).

[0034] Thus, as can be seen, the gas adapter 300 has increased conductivity compared to the conventional gas adapter 100. Furthermore, it can be fully received into the gas supply conduit 110 without substantially interfering with the flow of gas from the gas motor 120. This enables the gas adapter 300 to be consistently positioned within the gas supply conduit 110 without causing variations in back pressure experienced using conventional gas adapters 100 and avoiding any pressure sensor activation (which could otherwise indicate a blockage). This provides a better fit than Figure 1 The arrangement shown in the figure provides a more reliable and consistent connection to the gas motor. Figure 1 The arrangement shown in FIG. 1 typically requires adjusting the positioning of the gas adapter 100 and / or adjusting the pressure threshold of the pressure sensor based on the individual positioning of the gas adapter 100 .

[0035] Therefore, certain embodiments provide nozzle-shaped gas adapters for improved conductivity. This helps reduce pressure deviations by improving conductivity, regardless of the gas adapter's position within the gas module. As mentioned above, in some cases, the exhaust pressure varies depending on the specific position of a conventional gas adapter, making it difficult to identify the extent of byproduct blockage. Typically, with conventional gas adapter designs, the exhaust pressure varies depending on the assembly position within the gas module. This means that the exhaust pressure varies depending on how the pump is constructed. This poses a problem because users may mistakenly believe that byproducts are being produced when the variation is simply due to the positioning of the individual gas adapters. Furthermore, this results in a smaller margin for the exhaust pressure warning / alarm setpoint and the measurable range of the pressure sensor. Specifically, in some cases, the exhaust pressure is non-uniform and can range from 2.7 to 4.1 psig. Furthermore, there is not much margin for the exhaust pressure warning / alarm setpoint (9.01 / 14 psig) and the rated pressure range of the pressure sensor (-14.7 to 14.7 psig). For example, even a small amount of byproduct production can easily trigger a warning / alarm. In addition, a small margin is used for the measurable pressure range of the pressure sensor (in some cases, the measurable pressure range can be from -1 barg to 1 barg). The reason for this change is conductivity. With a conventional gas adapter, when it is inserted deeply into the gas module, the exhaust pressure increases. When the gas adapter is slightly moved out of the gas module, the exhaust pressure decreases. This means that the conductivity changes with the position of the gas adapter. Specifically, for Figure 1 With conventional gas adapters, the right side of the gas adapter acts like a wall that interferes with the flow of, for example, N2, which results in an increase in the number of molecules present near the pressure sensor. In order to reduce the deviation caused by the position of the gas adapter and create more margin for the exhaust pressure warning / alarm set point and the measurable pressure sensor range, the conductivity of the gas adapter is improved by designing a nozzle-shaped gas adapter. The improved conductivity results in only slight changes in the exhaust pressure as the assembly position of the gas adapter changes. This design minimizes the possibility of gas flow interference and achieves an exhaust pressure of approximately 2 psig with a deviation of less than approximately 1 psig. Therefore, the gas adapter design of certain embodiments can ensure more margin for exhaust pressure warnings / alarms and for the measurable range of the pressure sensor. The embodiments are particularly suitable for pumps with increased flow rates to the exhaust pipe due to their improved conductivity. The embodiments are also particularly suitable for situations where the pressure sensor and gas purification system exist in the same space.

[0036] Although the illustrative embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodiments and that various changes and modifications may be implemented therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0037] Reference numerals

[0038] Gas adapter 100

[0039] Gas supply conduit 110

[0040] Gas motor 120 O-ring seal 130 Gas supply hole 140 Annular shoulder 150

[0041] Connecting body 200

[0042] Part 1 210

[0043] Part 220

[0044] Annular groove 230

[0045] Bevel area 240

[0046] Catheter 250

[0047] Entrance section 260

[0048] Transition section 270

[0049] Outlet part 280 vacuum pump gas adapter 300

Claims

1. A vacuum pump gas adapter, which is used to connect a gas motor and a vacuum pump, characterized in that: The vacuum pump gas adapter comprises: a coupling body for receiving gas from the gas motor, the coupling body defining a conduit having: Inlet section, with inlet internal cross-sectional area, an outlet portion having an outlet internal cross-sectional area that is smaller than the inlet internal cross-sectional area, and a transition portion between the inlet portion and the outlet portion, having a transition inner cross-sectional area transitioning between the inlet inner cross-sectional area and the outlet inner cross-sectional area; and A supply tube is received by the coupling body and is configured to receive the gas from the outlet portion and deliver it to the vacuum pump.

2. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to claim 1, wherein: The transition inner cross-sectional area of ​​the transition portion narrows from the inlet portion to the outlet portion.

3. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to claim 1, wherein: The transition inner cross-sectional area of ​​the transition portion narrows from the inlet inner cross-sectional area to the outlet inner cross-sectional area.

4. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to claim 1, wherein: The transition inner cross-sectional area of ​​the transition portion is tapered.

5. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to claim 1, wherein: The inlet interior cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet portion has a constant interior cross-sectional area along a first axial length.

6. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to claim 1, wherein: The inlet inner cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet portion matches an inner cross-sectional area of ​​a gas supply conduit of the gas motor.

7. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to claim 1, wherein: The inlet inner cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet portion matches a cross-sectional area of ​​a flow of the gas from the gas motor.

8. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to claim 1, wherein: The outlet inner cross-sectional area of ​​the outlet portion has a constant inner cross-sectional area along the second axial length.

9. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to claim 1, wherein: The outer diameter of the first portion of the coupling body is sized to mate with the inner diameter of the coupling recess of the gas motor.

10. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to claim 9, wherein: The first portion includes the inlet portion.

11. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to claim 9, wherein: The first portion also includes the transition portion.

12. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein: The axial length of the coupling body is sized to abut an end surface of the coupling groove.

13. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein: The inlet inner cross-sectional area of ​​the inlet portion matches a cross-sectional area of ​​a flow of the gas flowing from the gas motor into the coupling groove.

14. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein: The inlet portion is sized to define an axial end surface that cannot interfere with the flow of the stream of gas flowing from the gas motor into the coupling groove.

15. The vacuum pump gas adapter according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein: The outer diameter of the second portion of the coupling body is sized to match the inner diameter of the supply tube and the second portion includes the outlet portion.

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