Gas purification getter construction for airborne and space applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10071336-B1
Application number	US-201715414502-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 24, 2017
Priority date	Jan 24, 2017
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

A gas purification getter for purifying a gas. The getter includes a canister having a cylinder body including a corrugated wall, an inlet end cap coupled to an inlet end of the cylinder body and an outlet end cap coupled to an outlet end of the cylinder body so that the cylinder body, the inlet end cap and the outlet end cap define a sealed chamber. The getter also includes a powder bed of a getter material provided within the chamber so that a flow of the gas from the inlet end to the outlet end is purified by the getter material. Voids in the powder bed when the canister is horizontally oriented are limited to raised portions in the corrugated wall so that there is no short circuit path for the gas to flow from the inlet end to the outlet end.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas purification getter for purifying a gas, said getter comprising:
a canister including a canister body having a corrugated wall, an inlet end cap coupled to an inlet end of the canister body and an outlet end cap coupled to an outlet end of the canister body so that the canister body, the inlet end cap and the outlet end cap define a sealed getter chamber; and
a getter material provided within the getter chamber so that a flow of the gas from the inlet end to the outlet end is purified by the getter material, wherein voids in the getter material when the canister is horizontally oriented are limited to raised portions in the corrugated wall so that there is no short circuit path for the gas to flow from the inlet end to the outlet end.

2. The getter according to claim 1 wherein the getter material is a powder.

3. The getter according to claim 1 wherein the canister is stainless steel.

4. The getter according to claim 1 wherein corrugations in the corrugated wall are sinusoidal corrugations.

5. The getter according to claim 1 wherein the getter chamber is hermetically sealed.

6. The getter according to claim 1 wherein the canister is cylindrical.

7. The getter according to claim 1 further comprising an outer getter housing defining a housing chamber therein, said canister being positioned within the housing chamber and being axially aligned therewith, said canister being a flexible canister that is compressible so as to reduce the volume of the getter chamber as the canister is compressed.

8. The getter according to claim 7 wherein the canister is compressed under a spring force provided by a spring within the housing chamber and being positioned against one of the inlet end cap or the outlet end cap and an end wall of the housing.

9. The getter according to claim 1 wherein the getter material is selected from the group consisting of palladium, platinum, titanium, vanadium, niobium and lanthanum.

10. The getter according to claim 1 wherein the getter is part of a cryocooler.

11. The getter according to claim 10 wherein the cryocooler is on a spacecraft.

12. A gas purification getter for purifying a gas, said getter comprising:
a cylindrical canister including a canister body having a sinusoidal-shaped corrugated wall, said canister further including an inlet end cap coupled to an inlet end of the canister body and an outlet end cap coupled to an outlet end of the canister body so that the canister body, the inlet end cap and the outlet end cap define a sealed getter chamber; and
a getter powder bed provided within the getter chamber so that a flow of the gas from the inlet end to the outlet end is purified by the getter material, wherein voids in the powder bed when the canister is horizontally oriented are limited to raised portions in the corrugated wall so that there is no short circuit path for the gas to flow from the inlet end to the outlet end.

13. The getter according to claim 12 wherein the canister is stainless steel.

14. The getter according to claim 12 wherein the getter material is selected from the group consisting of palladium, platinum, titanium, vanadium, niobium and lanthanum.

15. The getter according to claim 12 wherein the getter is part of a cryocooler.

16. The getter according to claim 15 wherein the cryocooler is on a spacecraft.

17. A gas purification getter for purifying a gas, said getter comprising:
a cylindrical outer housing defining a housing chamber therein;
a cylindrical canister axially positioned within the housing chamber, said canister including a canister body having a corrugated wall, an inlet end cap coupled to an inlet end of the canister and an outlet end cap coupled to an outlet end of the canister body so that the canister body, the inlet end cap and the outlet end cap define a hermetically sealed getter chamber; and
a getter powder bed provided within the getter chamber so that a flow of the gas from the inlet end to the outlet is purified by the getter powder, wherein voids in the powder bed when the canister is horizontally oriented are limited to raised portions in the corrugated wall so that there is no short circuit path for the gas to flow from the inlet end to the outlet end.

18. The getter according to claim 17 wherein the canister is compressed under a spring force provided by a spring within the housing chamber and being positioned against one of the inlet end cap or the outlet end cap and an end wall of the housing.

19. The getter according to claim 17 wherein the getter is part of a cryocooler.

20. The getter according to claim 19 wherein the cryocooler is on a spacecraft.

Assignees

• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Wang Ge

Classifications

• B01J20/0214

  Compounds of V, Nb, Ta · CPC title

• B01J20/0211

  Compounds of Ti, Zr, Hf · CPC title

• B01D2259/4575

  in aeroplanes or space ships · CPC title

• B01J20/0207

  Compounds of Sc, Y or Lanthanides · CPC title

• B01J20/0225

  Compounds of Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt · CPC title