System for controlling the flow of gas into and out of a gas laser
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented the the Unites States Department of Energy
InventorsTerry Alger, Dennis M. Uhlich, William J. Benett, Earl R. Ault
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A modularized system for controlling the gas pressure within a copper vapor or like laser is described herein. This system includes a gas input assembly which serves to direct gas into the laser in a controlled manner in response to the pressure therein for maintaining the laser pressure at a particular value, for example 40 torr. The system also includes a gas output assembly including a vacuum pump and a capillary tube arrangement which operates within both a viscous flow region and a molecular flow region for drawing gas out of the laser in a controlled manner.
Claims11
An assembly for controlling the flow of gas out of a gas laser, comprising:
- a vacuum pump;
- conduit means extending between said laser and vacuum pump and cooperating with the latter for drawing gas out of said laser;
- and a capillary tube arrangement forming part of and located within a flow line of said conduit means between said laser and vacuum pump, said capillary tube arrangement being configured to function as a flow constriction within said line for dropping the pressure between said laser and pump sufficiently low to cause the pump to operate in the molecular flow region while the pressure within the laser is sufficiently high to operate in the viscous flow region, said capillary tube arrangement being sufficiently long so as to define an upstream section, flow wise, which operates within the viscous flow region and a downstream section, flow wise, which operates within the molecular flow region.
An assembly for controlling the flow of gas out of a gas laser, said assembly comprising;
- a vacuum pump;
- conduit means extending between said vacuum pump and said laser for drawing gas from said laser into the ambient surroundings;
- and a capillary tube arrangement in the flow line between said laser and vacuum pump and serving both as a flow constriction for dropping the pressure substantially between said laser and pump and as a means for preventing molecules such as the oil molecules from the vacuum pump from flowing back into the laser, said arrangement including a shut off valve, a primary capillary tube on the upstream side of said shut off valve and a secondary capillary tube on the downstream side of said valve, said secondary capillary tube being sufficiently long to include both the entire molecular flow region of the combined tubes and a part of the viscous flow region thereof.
An arrangement for controlling the flow of gas into and out of a gas laser, comprising;
- (a) a first assembly for controlling the flow of gas into said laser;
- and
- (b) a second assembly for controlling the flow of gas out of said laser, said second assembly including a vacuum pump, conduit means extending between said laser and vacuum pump and cooperating with the latter for drawing gas out of said laser, and a capillary tube arrangement in the flow line in said conduit means between said laser and vacuum pump, said capillary tube arrangement being configured to function as a flow constriction for dropping the pressure between said laser and vacuum pump such that an upstream section of said arrangement operates in the viscous flow region while a downstream section thereof operates within the molecular flow region.
A method of controlling the flow of gas out of a gas laser, comprising the steps of;
- providing a vacuum pump and conduit means between said pump and said laser;
- operating said vacuum pump at a sufficiently high level to draw gas out of said laser through said conduit means;
- and as said gas flows through said conduit means from said laser to said vacuum pump subjecting it to capillary action along a predetermined extent of its flow path sufficient to cause the pressure to drop in said extent from a pressure level which is within the viscous flow region to a pressure which is within the molecular flow region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.