Vacuum Pump Purging with Compressed Air
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum pumping and abatement systems face high costs and a significant carbon footprint due to the need for separate generation and use of pure nitrogen and oxygen, which also leads to increased fuel consumption and reduced combustion efficiency when dealing with corrosive and noxious processing gases.
Innovation Solution
The system employs compressed air for purging the vacuum pumping arrangement and derives oxygen for combustion from the air, reducing the need for separate oxygen sources and minimizing energy-intensive processes, while using a burner to burn processing gases with the available oxygen in the air stream.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pure nitrogen and oxygen are used separately for purging and combustion, then the system can effectively remove corrosive gases and support combustion, but the cost of ownership and operation increases due to separate generation and purchase of these gases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the purging function and combustion support function into a single compressed air supply system. Compressed air contains both nitrogen (for purging) and oxygen (for combustion), eliminating the need for separate gas generation and supply systems while maintaining the reliability of corrosion protection and combustion support.
Solution Approach 2:
Compressed air is used to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it serves as a purge gas to protect against corrosion and provides oxygen for combustion in the burner. This multi-functional approach reduces system complexity and operational costs while maintaining effective corrosion protection.
2Manufacturing precision
If pure nitrogen and oxygen are generated separately using cryogenic distillation, then the required purity levels are achieved, but energy consumption increases and carbon footprint expands
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses compressed air from the environment, which already contains the necessary components (nitrogen and oxygen) in appropriate proportions. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive cryogenic distillation processes to separate and purify gases, significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint while still achieving the required functional purity levels.
3Reliability
If oxygen is added to nitrogen purge gas to support combustion, then combustion is enabled, but the total gas flow increases resulting in higher fuel usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the purging gas and combustion support gas into a single compressed air stream. Since compressed air already contains approximately 21% oxygen, the system achieves combustion support without adding separate oxygen to nitrogen, thereby maintaining lower total gas flow and reducing fuel consumption compared to systems that mix pure oxygen with nitrogen purge gas.
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 approach decreases operational costs and carbon footprint by utilizing abundant air as a purge gas, reducing the requirement for additional oxygen and nitrogen, and optimizing combustion efficiency without compromising the removal of noxious substances from processing gases.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump for evacuating processing gas from a process chamber
Implementation Method 2
removing noxious substances therefrom by burning the processing gas in a fuel and oxygen mixture which is introduced to the burner
Implementation Method 3
a source of compressed air configured for purging the vacuum pumping arrangement during evacuation
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention relates to a vacuum pumping and abatement system for evacuating processing gas from a process chamber and removing noxious substances from the processing gas. The present invention also relates to a method of purging a vacuum pumping arrangement. The present invention seeks to reduce the cost of ownership and operation and carbon footprint of such systems, by providing a vacuum pumping and abatement system for evacuating processing gas from a process chamber and removing noxious substances from the processing gas, comprising a vacuum pumping arrangement for evacuating processing gas from a process chamber; a source of compressed air for purging the vacuum pumping arrangement during evacuation; and a burner for receiving processing gas and compressed air from the vacuum pumping arrangement and removing noxious substances therefrom by burning the processing gas in oxygen wherein at least some of the oxygen that supports combustion is derived from the compressed air.