Cap assembly and optical fiber cooling process
AssigneeThe BOC Group, Inc.
InventorsYaping Lu, Arthur I. Shirley, Neeraj Saxena, Paul A. Propsner, Lip Yee Lee
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Abstract
A cap assembly for collecting cooling gas from a coolant chamber tube is disclosed. The cap assembly having connecting means and outlet means extending from its side walls being generally shaped and sized for detachable mounting on the body of the cooling gas chamber tube. The cap assembly is also employed in a hot optical fiber process which is being cooled by helium.
Claims14
A method of cooling a hot drawn fiber in a heat exchange unit comprising a single heat exchanger having one fiber inlet end opening, one fiber outlet end opening, at least one cooling gas inlet, gas pumping means and a cap assembly having at least one inlet and at least one outlet comprising the steps:
- a) drawing said fiber through said heat exchanger;
- b) introducing gaseous coolant into said heat exchanger via said at least one cooling gas inlet;
- c) collecting said cooling gas in said cap assembly;
- and
- d) withdrawing a gaseous exhaust stream comprising said gaseous coolant and at least one gaseous impurity from said cap assembly by means of said gas pumping means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.