Fingered Vacuum Valve Flanges for Stable Charged Particle Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum valves used in particle accelerators cause undesired deflection of charged particles due to varying passage opening cross-sections when flanges move, which is not suitable for conducting charged particle jets effectively.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates flanges with a sequence of fingers and recesses that maintain constant passage opening cross-sections, ensuring minimal deflection of charged particles by aligning passage openings and valve openings, and using a single or dual valve drive system for precise movement control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If elastically clamped plates are arranged between the flanges to allow flange movements, then the flanges can move towards and away from one another, but the opening cross-section changes which causes deflection of charged particles
Solution Approach 1:
The flanges are segmented into multiple fingers that can move independently while maintaining the overall passage opening geometry. This segmentation allows the flange to accommodate movement requirements while preserving a consistent opening cross-section for charged particle flow.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the flange structure have different properties: the fingers are designed to be flexible for movement, while the passage opening regions maintain rigid geometric constraints to ensure constant cross-section. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between movement capability and particle flow quality.
2Reliability
If the flanges are pressed against the wall regions to connect valve openings, then fluid-conductive connection is achieved, but the passage opening cross-section may vary causing particle deflection
Solution Approach 1:
The flange is divided into multiple fingers that can independently contact the wall region, ensuring reliable fluid-conductive connection through distributed contact points while maintaining the passage opening geometry intact for consistent particle flow.
3Device complexity
If a single valve drive moves the closing element and flanges, then device complexity is reduced, but precise control of multiple movement directions is required
Solution Approach 1:
The single valve drive is designed to perform multiple functions: it moves the closing element along the first movement direction and simultaneously controls the flanges' movement towards and away from one another. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity while maintaining precise control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve drive system incorporates dynamic control mechanisms that can adjust movement parameters in real-time, enabling precise control of the closing element and flanges in multiple directions despite using a single drive unit.
Data Source
AI summary
A valve (1) with a valve housing (2) and valve openings (3), and with a closing element (5) and at least one valve drive (6). The valve also has two mutually opposite flanges (9, 10) each having a passage opening (11). The flanges can be moved towards and away from one another by the valve drive and are force-coupled to the closing element with respect to the movements of the closing element and in the fully opened position of the closing element are pressed against the wall regions (4) of the valve housing and thus the passage openings of the flanges connect the valve openings together. The two flanges (9, 10) each include a sequence of fingers (12) and recesses (13) arranged in between, and the fingers surround the passage openings and the fingers of the one flange engage in the respective recesses of the other flange.