Sniffer leak detector with multi-stage membrane pump

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9810597-B2
Application number	US-201415021054-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2014
Priority date	Sep 16, 2013
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A sniffer leak detector includes a mass spectrometer for analyzing hydrogen or helium, a turbomolecular pump which is connected with said mass spectrometer and whose outlet is connected with a prevacuum pump, and a sniffer probe which includes a plurality of intake lines and is connected with said inlet of said turbomolecular pump, wherein a vacuum pump includes at least three stages whose inlet stage defines said prevacuum pump and is connected with said outlet of said turbomolecular pump via a blocked throttle, wherein, between adjacent stages of said vacuum pump, an intermediate inlet each is provided, wherein each intermediate inlet is connected with a different intake line of said sniffer probe and at least one of the intake lines as a suction line is connected with said inlet of said turbomolecular pump for obtaining different gas flows.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sniffer leak detector comprising:
a mass spectrometer for analyzing hydrogen or helium,
a turbomolecular pump which is connected with said mass spectrometer and whose outlet is connected with a prevacuum pump, and
a sniffer probe which comprises a plurality of intake lines and is connected with an inlet of said turbomolecular pump, and
wherein
a vacuum pump comprising at least three stages whose inlet stage defines said prevacuum pump and is connected with said outlet of said turbomolecular pump via a blocked throttle,
wherein, between adjacent stages of said vacuum pump, an intermediate inlet each is provided, wherein each intermediate inlet is connected with a different intake line of said sniffer probe and at least one of the intake lines as a suction line is connected with said inlet of said turbomolecular pump for obtaining different gas flows.

2. The sniffer leak detector according to claim 1 , wherein the vacuum pump includes at least four stages, wherein two first stages are connected in parallel and define the prevacuum pump.

3. The sniffer leak detector according to claim 2 , wherein the vacuum pump is a four-stage membrane pump whose outlet stage generates a gas flow in the range between 2000 and 4000 sccm and whose next-to-last pump stage generates a gas flow in the range between 200 and 400 sccm.

4. The sniffer leak detector according to claim 1 , wherein the suction line is connected with the intermediate inlet via a blocked throttle.

5. The sniffer leak detector according to claim 1 , wherein the respective pump stages are configured such that, in the intake lines, an intake flow is generated which is larger by at least a factor of 5 than a measuring gas flow branched off therefrom towards the turbomolecular pump and destined for the mass spectrometer.

6. The sniffer leak detector according to claim 1 , wherein an inlet flow of the turbomolecular pump amounts to approximately 30-70 sccm.

7. The sniffer leak detector according to claim 6 , wherein the inlet flow of the turbomolecular pump amounts to approximately 50 sccm.

8. The sniffer leak detector according to claim 1 , wherein the suction line of the turbomolecular pump is provided with a blocked orifice which adjusts an inlet flow of said turbomolecular pump.

Assignees

• Inficon Gmbh

Inventors

• Hilgers Heike
• Bruhns Hjalmar
• Wetzig Daniel
• Rolff Norbert

Classifications

• G01L19/0654 Primary

  against moisture or humidity · CPC title

• G01M3/205 Primary

  Accessories or associated equipment; Pump constructions · CPC title

• F04D19/046

  Combinations of two or more different types of pumps · CPC title