Flash vaporizer system for use in manufacturing optical waveguide fiber
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsA. Joseph Antos, Michael S. Dobbins, Victor E. Olson, III, Dale R. Powers, Francis W. Voorhees
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Abstract
A system for delivering a liquid reactant at high flow rates to an oxidation/flame hydrolysis glass soot deposition site. A first liquid only reactant is delivered to a flash vaporization chamber to form a thin film and mixed with oxygen after vaporization. Additional vaporized reactants are thereafter mixed with the vaporized first liquid prior to delivery to an oxidation/flame hydrolysis burner to form a glass soot outer cladding layer on a soot preform. The soot preform is subsequently fused to form a high quality glass blank for drawing into optical fiber.
Claims27
A flash vaporizer system for delivering reactants to an oxidation/flame hydrolysis glass soot deposition system comprising:
- (a) liquid delivery means;
- (b) container means;
- (c) heating means for heating a liquid delivered thereto by said liquid delivery means to a temperature sufficient to vaporize said liquid to a predetermined vapor pressure;
- (d) said heating means comprising a surface upon which said liquid delivery means delivers liquid at a controlled flow rate to form a thin film;
- (e) means for controlling the temperature of said surface of said heating means to a temperature above the boiling point of said liquid and below the temperature where nucleate boiling of said liquid occurs, such that continuity of said thin film is achieved;
- and,
- (f) means for delivering the vaporized liquid to a vapor deposition site.
A flash vaporizer for delivering reactants to an oxidation/flame hydrolysis glass soot deposition system comprising:
- (a) a flash vaporization chamber means defined by two opposing surfaces for encouraging vaporization of a liquid reactant introduced upon at least one of said surfaces;
- (b) liquid delivery means including means for controlling the flow of the liquid reactant, and further including means for introducing the liquid reactant upon said at least one of said surfaces such that there is a predetermined gap distance between the end of said introducing means and said at least one of said surfaces;
- (c) means for controlling the temperature in said flash vaporization chamber means within the range from the boiling point of said liquid reactant to the temperature where nucleate boiling of said liquid occurs;
- (d) wherein for a given flash vaporization chamber surface separation, said liquid delivery means and said temperature control means operate to allow the vapor to reach the vapor operating pressure within a reasonable time without allowing the disturbance of the unvaporized liquid within said chamber by the vapor flow.
A flash vaporizer system for delivering reactants to an oxidation/flame hydrolysis glass soot deposition system comprising:
- (a) a flash vaporization chamber for vaporizing liquids at temperatures greater than about than 150.degree. C.;
- (b) liquid delivery means for delivering a substantially O.sub.2 -free liquid reactant to said flash vaporization chamber, including means for controlling the flow of the liquid reactant to the flash vaporization chamber;
- (c) first reactant delivery means for delivering vaporized liquid from said flash vaporization chamber to a deposition reaction, whereby O.sub.2 provided to the deposition reaction is combined with the vaporized liquid after the vaporized liquid exits said flash vaporization chamber.
A method for delivering reactants to an oxidation/flame hydrolysis glass soot deposition system comprising the steps of:
- (a) supplying a reactant in liquid form in a pressurized container;
- (b) providing a flash vaporization chamber adjacent said pressurized container;
- (c) delivering said liquid reactant to said flash vaporization chamber at a controlled rate;
- (d) forming a thin film of said liquid reactant onto a heating surface of said flash vaporization chamber;
- (e) vaporizing said first liquid reactant at a temperature below the temperature where nucleate boiling of said liquid occurs;
- and,
- (f) delivering said vaporized reactant to a vapor deposition site.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.