Vacuum System Design Considerations

Materials
Plumbing
Pumping
Throughput
Ultimate pressure
Dynamic equilibrium
Pumping speed
Leaks
Leaks
Real
Holes in the system!
Virtual
Surface adsorption
Outgassing
Hubers rule
Water desorbs very slowly from all surfaces
Always backfill your vacuum system with dry
nitrogen
Minimize surface area
Ultimate vacuum/limiting pressure
System bakeout
P(T) = P
0
exp(-H
v
/R(1/T 1/T
0
))
Applies to evaporation
Applies equally well to desorption
Replace H
v
with some desorption energy
Vacuum System Bakeout
Heating tape
Glass
Copper
Brass
Aluminum
Materials for vacuum systems
1. What is its vapor pressure?
What is its specific surface area?
Typical materials of choice
Glass
Hardnon-porous and structurally rigid
Smoothminimum specific surface area
Bakeable
Pyrex or Kimax (70% SiO
2
) good to 550 C
Quartz or Vycor (96% SiO
2
) good to 1100 C
Chemically inert
Materials for Vacuum Applications
Ceramics
Electrical insulators
Thermal insulators
Bakeable to very high temperatures
Can be machinable
Lava
Must be fired after machining
Expands 2% on firing
Macor
Materials for Vacuum Applications
Stainless steel
304 and 316 are ideal
The chromium in the steel combines with
oxygen in the atmosphere to form a thin,
invisible layer of chrome-containing oxide,
called the passive film. [Ditto for bumpers!]
The sizes of chromium atoms and their oxides
are similar, so they pack neatly together on
the surface of the metal, forming a stable
layer only a few atoms thick.
Non-porous, impervious to infiltration
Bakeable to high temperature
Materials for Vacuum Applications
Aluminum
Much easier to machine than stainless
Also forms impervious oxide
Strength-to-weight ratio is greater than steel
Outgassing rate is 5-10X that of stainless
Materials for Vacuum Applications
Brass and copper
Whats brass?
Easily machined
Easily joined with soft or silver solder
Fittings available from commercial plumbing
suppliers
Volatile zinc above 200 C



Materials for Vacuum Applications
Plastics
Easily formed
Not bakeable to very high temperature
Nylon and Delrin are most stable
Outgas water and air
Teflon
Bakes over 200 C
Soft; poor mechanical strength
Polyimide (Kapton)
Very low vapor pressure
Used for tape!
Cross Section Width Depth
(mm) (W) (L)
1 1.3 0.8
1.5 1.8 1.1
2 2.6 1.5
2.5 3.2 1.9
3 3.9 2.3
3.5 4.5 2.7
4 5.2 3.15
4.5 5.8 3.6
5 5.5 4.3
5.5 6 4.7
6 6.5 5
6.5 7 5.5
7 7.5 5.7
7.5 8 6.6
8 8.5 6.8
8.5 9 7.23
9 9.5 7.65
9.5 10 8.08
10 10.5 8.5
O-ring
seals
Groove design criteria
http://www.oringsusa.com/html/gland_design.html
Vacuum Valves
Glass
Stopcocks
Ace valves
Neither is bakeable to very high temperature

Vacuum Valves: Glass Stopcock
Outlet
Mating ground glass surfaces
Must be [heavily] greased
Inlet
Through hole aligns
with inlet (open) or
doesnt (closed)
Vacuum Valves: Ace Thred
Inlet
Thread for stem drive
Stem seal O-rings
Outlet
Valve-sealing
O-ring
Tapered Glass Seat
Vacuum Valves: Diaphragm valve
Valve seat
Diaphragm!
Vacuum Valves: Bellows Valve
Valve seal
O-ring
Actuator knob
Bellows
Valve
seat
Stem seal
O-ring
Vacuum Valves: Gate Valve
Manual actuator
Sealing plate, fully retractable
Minimal reduction in throughput!
Joinery: copper conflats
Knife edges
Copper gaskets (conflats)
Traps
P(T) = P
0
exp(-H
v
/R(1/T 1/T
0
))
At 275 K, pump oil has very low vapor
pressure
Hence the water baffle

At 77 K, water and many other contaminants
have very low vapor pressure.
Hence the LN2 trap.
Diff pump trap
Glass in-line trap and dewar