Vacuum Pumping Arrangement
AssigneeEdwards Limited
InventorNigel Paul Schofield
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Abstract
A vacuum pumping arrangement for evacuating an enclosure is provided. The arrangement comprises a turbomolecular vacuum pump having an inlet which is connectable using fixing members to an outlet of an enclosure to be evacuated. Each of the fixing members passes through a first aperture in the inlet and through a second aperture in the outlet. An elongate, circumferentially extending cavity is provided extending from or adjacent to one of these apertures to accommodate a crushable insert. Energy transmitted to the fixing members by the turbomolecular vacuum pump during a failure thereof is thus absorbed by the deformation of the inserts. By absorbing a proportion of the energy in this way separation of the inlet from the outlet is thus inhibited.
Claims28
A vacuum pumping arrangement for evacuating an enclosure, the arrangement comprising:
- a turbomolecular vacuum pump having an inlet connectable to an outlet of an enclosure using fixing members wherein each of the fixing members passes through a respective first aperture in the inlet and through a respective second aperture in the outlet, the inlet or the outlet comprising an elongate, circumferentially extending cavity extending from or adjacent to the respective aperture, and a crushable insert located within the cavity, so that energy transmitted to the fixing members by the turbomolecular vacuum pump during a failure thereof is absorbed by the crushable insert to inhibit separation of the inlet from the outlet.
The arrangement according to claim wherein the cavity for receiving the insert extends from the respective aperture in both circumferential directions.
A turbomolecular vacuum pump comprising a flanged inlet connectable to a flanged duct using fixing members, wherein an array of cavities are provided in the inlet flange, each cavity extending from or adjacent to an aperture for receiving a respective fixing member and being configured to receive a crushable insert.
A method of connecting a turbomolecular vacuum pump to a device to be evacuated, the method comprising the steps of:
- forming an array of elongate circumferentially extending cavities in a flanged inlet of the vacuum pump or a flanged outlet of the device, each cavity being adjacent to or extending from a respective aperture located in the respective flange;
- placing a crushable insert into each respective cavity;
- and
- connecting the flanged inlet of the turbomolecular vacuum pump to the flanged outlet of the device to be evacuated using fixing members passing through the apertures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.