Rapid response vapor source
AssigneesThermacore, Inc., The Pennsylvania State Research Foundation
InventorsDavid B. Sarraf, David L. Miller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The apparatus is a rapid response evaporator for material deposition in vapor. The structure is a vessel which is heated to a temperature just above the melting temperature of the liquid which it contains. Inserted into the heated liquid is a funnel shaped evaporator structure in which the vertical tube is a capillary structure to raise the heated liquid from the vessel. The upper diverging portion of the evaporator contains a porous capillary interior coating in contact with the capillary tube, and the exterior is independently heated. Because of the low thermal mass of the upper portion of the evaporator and the liquid in its capillary structure, it can respond to heat changes quickly enough to rapidly vary the rate of evaporation and the thickness of the deposited coating.
Claims8
An apparatus for controlled generation of vapors comprising:
- an evaporator structure with a first and a second surface;
- an evaporator wick attached to and covering the first surface of the evaporator structure;
- at least one evaporator heater attached to the second surface of the evaporator structure and means to operate each evaporator heater;
- a capillary tube with a first end of the tube attached to the evaporator structure and a second end remote from the evaporator structure;
- a capillary wick located within the capillary tube so as to furnish a continuous capillary path from the second end to the first end of the capillary tube and also located so that a portion of the capillary wick is in contact with the evaporator wick;
- a container with liquid in the container;
- and
- the second end of the capillary tube located so that it is immersed in the liquid within the container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.