Horizontal Vacuum Exhaust Valve Assembly for Contamination Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gate valves in vacuum chambers allow process contaminants and byproducts to accumulate, leading to corrosion and frequent maintenance needs, as well as deteriorated exhaust performance due to their perpendicular movement design.
Innovation Solution
A valve assembly with a horizontally movable valve and valve housing, featuring a double blade structure, valve movement guide parts, and a heating system to prevent contamination, along with a positive pressure keeping mechanism to maintain airtightness and reduce friction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional gate valve with perpendicular valve movement is used, then the valve can block the exhaust line, but process contaminants accumulate in the valve housing and on the valve outer surface causing corrosion and frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The valve movement direction is inverted from the conventional perpendicular direction to a horizontal direction. The valve blade moves horizontally along guide parts within the valve housing, allowing contaminants to be discharged along with the exhaust flow rather than accumulating on the valve surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve movement is transitioned from one-dimensional perpendicular motion to horizontal motion along a different spatial dimension. This dimensional change allows the valve to scrape and discharge contaminants effectively while maintaining sealing performance.
2Productivity
If a conventional gate valve with perpendicular valve movement is used, then the valve structure is simple, but exhaust performance deteriorates due to unnecessary friction and corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The valve assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: valve housing, valve blade, guide parts, and sealing elements. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally while facilitating easy maintenance and replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve blade is designed to move dynamically along horizontal guide parts rather than perpendicular to the exhaust line. This dynamic horizontal movement reduces friction between the valve and housing surfaces, preventing corrosion and maintaining excellent exhaust performance.
3Reliability
If a valve is moved perpendicular to the exhaust line, then the valve housing can be compact, but contaminants flow into the valve assembly causing driving failure
Solution Approach 1:
The valve movement direction is inverted from perpendicular to horizontal, allowing the valve blade to effectively discharge contaminants along with the exhaust flow. This prevents contaminant accumulation in the valve housing while maintaining a compact design.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful function of contaminant accumulation is extracted and eliminated by changing the valve movement direction. The horizontal movement enables the valve to scrape and discharge contaminants, removing the harmful effect without increasing housing volume.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a valve assembly including: a valve housing inserted into, after removing a portion of an exhaust line of a vacuum chamber, the removed portion of the exhaust line to be open in a direction communicating with the exhaust line and to have a predetermined inner space in a direction perpendicular to the direction communicating with the exhaust line; a valve movable horizontally inside the valve housing to allow the valve housing to communicate with the exhaust line or to be blocked from the exhaust line; a valve driving part disposed on one side of the valve housing in such a manner as to be connected to the valve so as to horizontally move the valve in a direction perpendicular to the exhaust line; and valve movement guide parts disposed inside the valve housing so as to guide a moving path of the valve.