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US 6,604,555 B2Granted
Automatic refill system for ultra pure or contamination sensitive chemicals
AssigneeArch Specialty Chemicals, Inc.
InventorsChristopher S. Blatt, Richard H. Pearce, Graham Williams, Edward H. Wentworth, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A highly reliable and safe, modular automatic refill (bulk delivery) system for ultra-high purity pyrophoric metalorganic chemicals employing: a manifold that insures contamination-free operation; a liquid-level detection system with fail-safe redundancy; and an evacuation system which leaves the system's manifold and transfer lines relatively free of chemical fire hazards; leaves them free of oxygen contamination; and leaves the composition of the system's carrier gas unaffected, between refills.
Claims44
A chemical refill system which comprises:
- (a) at least one primary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (b) at least one secondary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (c) a distribution means for supplying a carrier gas to said chemical refill system;
- (d) a conduit for connecting said means for supplying said carrier gas, said primary liquid chemical reservoir, and said secondary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (e) at least one venturi comprising a gas inlet, a gas outlet and an exhaust gas outlet, said venturi being disposed between said distribution means for supplying said carrier gas and said primary and secondary liquid chemical reservoirs;
- and
- (f) at least one volume sensor selected from the group consisting of:
- optical sensor, thermal conductance sensor, capacitance sensor, weight scale, sonic sensor, nitrogen back pressure sensor, electrostatic charge sensor, float sensor, and any combinations thereof, said volume sensor being capable of monitoring the volume of chemicals remaining in said primary and secondary chemical reservoir.
5 more elements
A process for transporting a chemical within a chemical refill system comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a chemical refill system comprising:
- (i) at least one primary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (ii) at least one secondary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (iii) a distribution means for supplying a carrier gas to said chemical refill system;
- (iv) a conduit for connecting said means for supplying said carrier gas, said primary liquid chemical reservoir, and said secondary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (v) at least one venturi comprising a gas inlet, a gas outlet and an exhaust gas outlet, said venturi being disposed between said distribution means for supplying said carrier gas and said primary and secondary liquid chemical reservoirs;
- (vi) at least one volume sensor selected from the group consisting of:
- optical sensor, thermal conductance sensor, capacitance sensor, weight scale, sonic sensor, nitrogen back pressure sensor, electrostatic charge sensor, float sensor, and any combinations thereof, said volume sensor being capable of monitoring the volume of chemicals remaining in said primary and secondary chemical reservoir;
- and
- (vii) a microprocessor controller means which comprises a plurality of independently operating microprocessor-controlled modules, each module being matched electrically to each primary chemical reservoir, and programmed to control the refilling operation of each corresponding primary chemical reservoir;
- (b) monitoring the volume of chemical within each primary chemical reservoir, wherein each independently operating microprocessor-controlled module is removable from said microprocessor controller without interrupting the operation of the remaining microprocessor-controlled modules and their corresponding primary chemical reservoirs;
- (c) monitoring said at least one volume sensor for an alarm condition;
- and
- (d) refilling a primary chemical reservoir or shutting down an automatic refill line.
11 more elements
A method of transporting a liquid chemical comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a chemical refill system comprising;
- (i) at least one primary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (ii) at least one secondary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (iii) a distribution means for supplying a carrier gas to said chemical refill system;
- (iv) a conduit for connecting said means for supplying said carrier gas, said primary liquid chemical reservoir, and said secondary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (v) at least one venturi comprising a gas inlet, a gas outlet and an exhaust gas outlet, said venturi being disposed between said distribution means for supplying said carrier gas and said primary and secondary liquid chemical reservoirs;
- and
- (vi) at least one volume sensor selected from the group consisting of:
- optical sensor, thermal conductance sensor, capacitance sensor, weight scale, sonic sensor, nitrogen back pressure sensor, electrostatic charge sensor, float sensor, and any combinations thereof, said volume sensor being capable of monitoring the volume of chemicals remaining in said primary and secondary chemical reservoir;
- (b) pressurizing said at least one primary liquid chemical reservoir with said carrier gas;
- and
- (c) forcing, under pressure, a liquid chemical contained in said at least one primary liquid chemical reservoir through said conduit means thereby filling said at least one secondary liquid chemical reservoir with said liquid chemical.
9 more elements
A chemical refill system which comprises:
- (a) at least one primary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (b) at least one secondary liquid chemical reservoir located within a processing station;
- (c) a distribution means for supplying a carrier gas to said chemical refill system;
- (d) a conduit for connecting said distribution means for supplying said carrier gas, said primary liquid chemical reservoir, and said secondary liquid chemical reservoir;
- and
- (e) at least one venturi comprising a gas inlet, a gas outlet and an exhaust gas outlet, said venturi being disposed between said distribution means for supplying said carrier gas and said primary and secondary liquid chemical reservoirs.
3 more elements
A process for transporting a chemical comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a chemical refill system comprising:
- (i) at least one primary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (ii) at least one secondary liquid chemical reservoir located within a processing station;
- (iii) a distribution means for supplying a carrier gas to said chemical refill system;
- (iv) a conduit for connecting said distribution means for supplying said carrier gas, said primary liquid chemical reservoir, and said secondary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (v) at least one venturi comprising a gas inlet, a gas outlet and an exhaust gas outlet, said venturi being disposed between said distribution means for supplying said carrier gas and said primary and secondary liquid chemical reservoirs;
- and
- (vi) a microprocessor controller means which comprises a plurality of independently operating microprocessor-controlled modules, each module being matched electrically to each primary chemical reservoir, and programmed to control the refilling operation of each corresponding primary chemical reservoir;
- (b) monitoring the volume of chemical within each primary chemical reservoir, wherein each independently operating microprocessor-controlled module is removable from said microprocessor controller without interrupting the operation of the remaining microprocessor-controlled modules and their corresponding primary chemical reservoirs;
- (c) monitoring said at least one volume sensor for an alarm condition;
- and
- (d) refilling a primary chemical reservoir or shutting down of an automatic refill line.
9 more elements
A method of transporting a liquid chemical comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a chemical refill system comprising:
- (i) at least one primary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (ii) at least one secondary liquid chemical reservoir located within a processing station;
- (iii) a distribution means for supplying a carrier gas to said chemical refill system;
- (iv) a conduit for connecting said distribution means for supplying said carrier gas, said primary liquid chemical reservoir, and said secondary liquid chemical reservoir;
- (v) at least one venturi comprising a gas inlet, a gas outlet and an exhaust gas outlet, said venturi being disposed between said distribution means for supplying said carrier gas and said primary and secondary liquid chemical reservoirs;
- (b) pressurizing said at least one primary liquid chemical reservoir with said carrier gas;
- and
- (c) forcing, under pressure, a liquid chemical contained in said at least one primary liquid chemical reservoir through said conduit thereby filling said at least one secondary liquid chemical reservoir with said liquid chemical.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.