Chemical vapor deposition system cleaner
AssigneeC.V.D. System Cleaners Corporation
InventorJohn W. Albrecht
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for cleaning the interior surfaces of a vessel which includes a cleaning head supported and guided into the vessel by a rigid air shaft. The cleaning head is supplied with a process fluid and directs and removes the process fluid from a cleaning zone located on the interior surface of the vessel. The process fluid is heated by a heat exchanger hose assembly that is connected to the air shaft. The apparatus utilizes turbulent fluid flow, thermal shock, ultrasonic vibration and/or piezoelectric vibration to dislodge particulates from the inner surfaces of the vessel. The apparatus is useful for cleaning chemical vapor deposition reactors and other similar vessels.
Claims9
A method of cleaning the interior surfaces of a vessel which comprises:
- providing a cleaning head having at least two spaced apart brush elements which are substantially perpendicular to an interior surface of a vessel;
- positioning said cleaning head in said vessel;
- defining a cleaning zone between said at least two spaced apart brush elements and between said interior surface of said vessel;
- dislodging particulates from the interior surface of said vessel;
- and
- removing said dislodged particulates,
- said dislodging being accomplished by supplying a heated turbulent process fluid into said defined cleaning zone in said vessel and by further subjecting said particulates to a process selected from the group consisting of mechanical agitation, thermal stress, physical interaction with said process fluid, chemical interaction with said process fluid and combinations thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.