Gas-Deflector Plate Geometry for Differential Pumping Jets
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Solution Overview
Problem
In high-flux, continuously operated particle accelerators, the natural flow of high-pressure gas from the target towards lower pressure regions causes thermal stresses and inefficiencies, leading to increased charge exchange, scattering, and reduced focusing ability due to coherent gas jets traversing differential pumping stages, which are ineffective in managing pressure ratios and beam transport.
Innovation Solution
A gas-deflector plate with a channel shaped and/or angled to offset the entry of jetting gas into the lower pressure region from the vertical axis, combined with a jet-deflector component to redirect the gas, is positioned between higher and lower pressure regions in differential pumping systems, such as particle accelerators and mass spectrometers, to deflect and reduce the coherence of gas jets, thereby reducing mass transport and pumping demands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a narrow-diameter aperture is used to focus the beam into the target chamber, then beam transport effectiveness is improved, but gas jet coherence increases causing higher pressures to propagate further up the beamline
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetric elements (deflector plate positioned off-center, angled channels) into the otherwise symmetric coaxial differential pumping system. This asymmetry causes the gas jet to strike the deflector plate and redirect at angles, breaking the coherent axial flow path while maintaining beam transport through the aperture.
2Stress or pressure
If differential pumping stages with coaxial apertures are employed to achieve high pressure ratios, then pressure separation is improved, but gas jets coherently traverse adjacent pumping stages
Solution Approach 1:
The deflector plate acts as an intermediary component positioned between the high-pressure target chamber and the first differential pumping stage. It intercepts the coherent gas jet and redirects it laterally into the pumping stage, preventing direct axial traversal while allowing the pressure differential to be maintained through the coaxial aperture system.
3Stress or pressure
If high pressure gas flows naturally towards lower pressure regions, then pressure equalization is improved, but thermal stresses on vacuum windows become unmanageable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vacuum window from the system by采用 a windowless beam delivery approach. Instead of using a physical window to separate the target chamber from the vacuum beamline, the system uses a series of differential pumping stages with apertures that allow beam passage without requiring a thermal barrier, thereby eliminating thermal stress on windows while maintaining pressure separation.
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
The solution effectively deflects and reduces the coherence of gas jets, enhancing the efficiency of differential pumping systems by minimizing gas transport to lower pressure sections, allowing for greater pressure differentials, smaller pumps, or larger apertures, and improving the overall effectiveness of the accelerator systems.
Implementation Method 1
high pressure gas from the target will naturally flow towards lower pressure portions of the accelerator system
Implementation Method 2
the channel is shaped and/or angled such that jetting gas moving through the channel enters the lower pressure region at an angle offset from the vertical axis
Implementation Method 3
a jet-deflector component is employed such that the jetting gas strikes such jet-deflector component and is re-directed in another direction
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are articles of manufacture, systems, and methods employing a gas-deflector plate in low to ultra-high vacuum systems that use differential pumping (e.g., gas-target particle accelerators, mass spectrometers, and windowless delivery ports). In certain embodiments, the gas-deflector plate is configured to be positioned between higher and lower pressure regions in a pressurized system, wherein the gas-deflector plate has a channel therethrough shaped and/or angled such that jetting gas moving through the channel enters the lower pressure region at an angle offset from the vertical axis of the gas-deflector plate and/or the channel. In other embodiments, a jet-deflector component is employed such that the jetting gas strikes such jet-deflector component and is re-directed in another direction.