Anti-Contamination Trap Cooling Pipe for Faster Cryogenic Pull-Down
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooling systems in vacuum application devices, such as charged particle beam and freeze drying devices, take an excessively long time to reach low temperatures, resulting in insufficient cooling and frost formation on samples, which hinders observation.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum application device with a cooling system that includes a cooling tank filled with a coolant and a cooling pipe extending to the cooling part, where the coolant is supplied directly to the cooling part, using highly thermally conductive materials and a vaporized nitrogen discharge tube to prevent air bubbles and enhance cooling efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling systems with highly thermally conductive materials are used to cool the anti-contamination trap, then the cooling effect is improved, but the cooling time becomes excessively long (approximately 30 minutes to reach -120°C, and even after significant time only reaches approximately -150°C)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the coolant from the cooling tank and directly supplies it to the cooling part via a cooling pipe, separating the cooling function from the heat conduction path. This eliminates the time delay associated with heat conduction through materials and enables rapid cooling to temperatures close to the coolant temperature
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a hydraulic cooling system where liquid coolant is pumped through a cooling pipe directly to the cooling part. This fluid-based heat transfer method is far more efficient than solid conduction, enabling rapid temperature reduction while maintaining the ability to reach temperatures close to the coolant temperature
2Loss of time
If the anti-contamination trap temperature is not sufficiently low, then cooling time is reduced, but frost forms on the sample surface due to insufficient temperature difference, hindering observation
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting the coolant and delivering it directly to the cooling part, the system achieves sufficiently low temperatures quickly, creating the necessary temperature difference to prevent frost formation on the sample while minimizing cooling time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thermal parameter by using direct coolant contact instead of conductive cooling, enabling the cooling part to reach temperatures close to the coolant temperature. This parameter change ensures adequate temperature difference to prevent frost while maintaining efficient operation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration allows for rapid cooling of the device-internal cooling part to a temperature close to the coolant temperature, reducing frost formation and enabling efficient sample observation.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling pipe extending from the cooling tank to the vicinity of the cooling part, and the coolant being supplied to an end of the cooling part
Implementation Method 2
a vaporized nitrogen discharge tube to prevent air bubbles
Data Source
AI summary
In conventional structures, a space between a dual cooling tank is vacuum insulated, and a cooling part is cooled via a highly thermally conductive material connected to an inner container. Such structures are affected by heat infiltrating into the highly thermally conductive material and the cooling part. For instance, in cases when liquid nitrogen is used as a coolant, it takes approximately 30 minutes for the temperature to reach −120° C. Even in cases when a significant amount of time has been spent, the temperature only reaches approximately −150° C., and thus falls significantly short of the temperature of liquid nitrogen, namely −196° C. Accordingly, an anti-contamination trap and a vacuum application device according to the present invention are provided with a structure in which a device-internal cooling part in the vacuum application device is cooled, and are characterized by being provided with: a cooling tank filled with a coolant for cooling a cooling part; and a cooling pipe extending from the cooling tank to the vicinity of the cooling part. The anti-contamination trap and the vacuum application device are further characterized in that: the coolant is supplied to an end of the cooling part; and a tube for releasing air bubbles inside the cooling pipe is inserted so as to extend to the cooling part.