Vacuum Pump Removable Insert for Deposit Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vacuum pumps, particularly turbomolecular pumps, face challenges in cleaning deposits such as process impurities, particles, and residues that accumulate in the fore-vacuum area, making maintenance time-consuming and potentially harmful due to caustic and toxic substances.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum pump design featuring a removable insert in the fore-vacuum area that collects and contains deposits, allowing for easy removal and cleaning outside the pump, reducing the risk of damage to sensitive components and simplifying the cleaning process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mechanical, physical and/or chemical cleaning is performed to remove deposits from the fore-vacuum area, then deposits are removed, but cleaning is time-consuming and may damage sensitive assemblies
Solution Approach 1:
The fore-vacuum area is segmented into a removable insert and a fixed housing. The insert, which collects deposits, can be separated from the housing for independent cleaning, allowing the housing with sensitive assemblies to remain intact and undisturbed during maintenance operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert containing the deposits is extracted as a separate removable component from the vacuum pump housing. This allows the insert to be taken outside the pump for cleaning while the sensitive assemblies inside the housing remain protected and undisturbed.
2Ease of operation
If mechanical, physical and/or chemical cleaning is performed to remove deposits from the fore-vacuum area, then deposits are removed, but sensitive assemblies may be damaged by superheated steam, cleaning agents and the like
Solution Approach 1:
The fore-vacuum area is divided into a removable insert and a fixed housing containing sensitive assemblies. This segmentation allows cleaning operations to be confined to the insert, preventing harmful cleaning agents and superheated steam from reaching and damaging the sensitive assemblies in the housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert is extracted as a separate component that can be cleaned externally. This extraction ensures that all harmful cleaning factors are applied only to the insert and never to the sensitive assemblies remaining inside the pump housing, eliminating the damage risk.
3Productivity
If the chamber is cleaned directly to remove deposits, then deposits are removed, but cleaning becomes more difficult due to the housing structure and subassemblies
Solution Approach 1:
The complex housing structure is segmented by introducing a removable insert that can be independently accessed and removed. This simplifies cleaning by allowing direct access to the chamber area without disassembling the complex housing and its integrated subassemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The insert containing the deposit-collecting chamber is extracted as a separate unit from the housing. This extraction provides unobstructed access to the entire chamber surface for cleaning, eliminating the accessibility problems created by the housing structure and fixed subassemblies.
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 significantly reduces the effort required for cleaning and minimizes the risk of damage to sensitive assemblies by containing deposits on a removable insert, facilitating maintenance and extending the pump's operational life.
Implementation Method 1
The term 'deposit' is to be understood broadly and can include any type of substances, such as particles, liquids, gases or exotic states such as plasma or atomic gas, which are contained in the fluid conveyed by the vacuum pump and are present in the vacuum pump, for example by adhesion, condensation, resublimation, solidification or chemical reaction.
Implementation Method 2
The term 'deposit' is to be understood broadly and can include any type of substances, such as particles, liquids, gases or exotic states such as plasma or atomic gas, which are contained in the fluid conveyed by the vacuum pump and are present in the vacuum pump, for example by adhesion, condensation, resublimation, solidification or chemical reaction.
Data Source
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AI summary
A vacuum pump, in particular a turbomolecular pump, comprising a housing with at least one inlet for fluid, in particular process gas or air, to which a recipient can be connected, and with at least one outlet for the fluid, and at least one pumping stage arranged in the housing for pumping the fluid, in particular from the recipient, through the vacuum pump from the inlet to the outlet, wherein a chamber is formed in the housing, is characterized in that at least one insert for receiving deposits is arranged in the chamber, which covers at least one side of the chamber that bounds the chamber.