US981498A - Vacuum apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

P. H. THOMAS.

VACUUM APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1905.

981,498, Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

U INVENTOH an. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PERCY H. THOMAS, OF MONTCLAIR,*NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO COOPER HEWITT ELECTRIG COMPANY, OF NEW YORK; N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

' VACUUM PPARATUS.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Original application filed January 23, 1904, Seria1 No. 190,285. Divided and this application filed June 16,

' 1905. Serial No. 265,503.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, PERCY H. Ti-romxs, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of Monte-lair, county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have'invented certainnew and use-.

ful Improvements in'Vacuum Apparatus, of

which the following is a Specification.

When it is desired to remove injurious gasesfrom a containing vessel or chamber,

at is sometimes desirable to assist the opera tion by creating avapor inside the chamber and causing the expulsion or removal of the said vapor either whollyby the same means as those employed for creating it or partially by the use of supplemental means such as a mechanical pump which would not in itself provide suflicient means for accomplishing the removal. .Such a vapor may be. exemplified by mercury vapor and the vapor.

may be produced by heating mercury inslde the chamber and expelling the gases either entirely by the influence of the heat, or with "the aid of a mechanical pump. This process has been found useful in connection with the pumping of mercury vapor apparatus wherein the mercury may serve the purpose of forming an electrode or more than one electrode inside the container after the chamber has been sealed off and the apparatus, is ready for use. It should be understood that the sealing OK, in all cases, takes place while the operation of expelling or withdrawing the vapors is in progress. 1

The present invention is designed to utilize, to some extent, the same general principles as those above set forth, but it is more particularly applicable to apparatus in which the material used for creating thevapor is not essential to the operation of the completed apparatus. For convenience, I shall show mercury as the source of'vapor, and a jet, flame or torch as a source of heat for generating vapor from the mercury.

Instead, however, of placing the mercury in the Vessel which is to be exhausted of air and other gases, I locate the mercury in a separate receptacle below the chamber and connect this receptacle to the chamber by a neck which can readily be sealed off when the' operation is complete. During the process of removing injurious gases from the cham her, the chamber itself and the receptacle containing mercury will both be subjected to heat, thereby causing the passage of a portion of the mercury vapor generated to pass through the chamber and out at a suitable exit tube. With the said exit tube may or may not be connected a mechanical pump for assisting in the withdrawal of the vapors and gases. When the operation has been continued long enough so that the products issuing through the exit tube are substantially pure mercury vapor, the said "exit tube is sealed ofl", heat is withdrawn from the mercury containing receptacle, the latter is subjected to the influence of special cooling means, thereby promoting the condensation of the mercury and its return to the receptacle, after which the neck connectin" the receptacle to the chamber is sealed .0 and the operation is complete.

When this process [is carried out in the manner described, it is found that a very high degree of vacuum is produced in the chamber, such production being assisted by the means which are provided for condensing the mercury through a cooling process. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing which is an elevation of an apparatus adapted to secure the carrying out of my invention.

In the drawing, 1 is the chamber to be exhausted, 2 is the exit pipe therefrom, and 3is the receptacle for containing mercury. Around the chamber 1 I may arrange a heat retaining shield, 4, adapted to receive jets, 5, 5, which may be ignited for producing heat. I may also surround the receptacle 3 with a heat retaining shield, 6, and may place in the bottom thereof one or more jets, 7, 7, for heating the mercury receptacle 3 and the mercury contained therein. The receptacle 3 is joined to the chamber 1 by means of a neck, 8. The exit tube 2 may have connected to its remote end a mechanical pump, as shown at 9, and in generalI prefer this arrangement, although the pump may be dispensed with if preferred.

To operate the apparatus, the 5, 5 and 7, 7 may be ignited and the pump 9 set in action. Through the operation of the jets 7, 7 mercury vapor is formed and this passes into the chamber 1 where it is still further heated by means of the jets 5-, 5. This causes a tendency for the vapor to pass out through the exit tube 2 and in some instances no other source of power for withdrawing the vapor is required. Should the pump 9 be used it will assist the withdra wal of the vabe sealed off -moved, or the flames put out.

pors. The gases originally contained in-the chamber 1 will naturally difl'use themselves in the vapor of mercury created by the process above described, and as the said yapor passes out from, the chamber, the olli maL gases will be carried along with it an the process may be continued until practicall nothing but pure 'vapor passes out throng 1 the exit tube. At this time the tube 2 should and the jets 7, 7 should be re- The jets 5, 5, however, will remain in operation. The part 6 which has been, up to this point, used as a heat retaining chamber may now be. filled with a cooling liquid, such as water, which may be caused to pass continuously through the-part mentioned, thereby causing a rapid cooling of the receptacle 3. Owing to the comparatively low temperature of this receptacle, the mercury vapor in the chamber '1 will be condensed and fall by gravity into the receptacle. Accordingly, an- .excellent vacuum will be produced in the chamber 1 and whenthe operation has been continued long enough, the neck 8 may be sealed off le'avin the chamber as a distinct structure provide with ahi l1 vacuum. The cooling fluid may be poure into thepart 6 from any suitable source and may pass out through a cook, 10., as shown near the bottom of the figure.

Under some circumstances it will be found convenient instead of retaining the source of heat 5 during the operation of condensation or removal of the vapor, to allow the chamber 1 to cool, thus condensing the vapor if only means be provided for removing the condensed vapor in the chamber 1 before sealing ofl' the neck 8. It is convenient to locatethe receptacle 3 below the chamber 1; It is, however, quite possible to locate said receptacle at any convenient point, the coolingof the said recep tacle as described being adequate to withdraw the vapors from the chamber 1 by condensingthem in the receptacle.

In another application filed January 23rd, 1904, Serial Number 190,285, Patent Number 845,670, Feb. 26, 1907 of which this application is a division, claims are made upon the method described herein.

In applicants companion cases Serial Number 190,283, filed January 23rd, 1904 and Serial Number 190,284, filed January 23rd, 1904 as well as in applicants Patents No. 845,670 issued February 26th, 1907 and No. 806,853 issued December 12th, 1905 claims are made on subject matterrelated to that claimed herein.

I claim as my invention 1. In a vapor apparatus, a chamber, a receptacle containing a volatilizable fluid, said rece tacle being connected to the said chamber y suitable inlet, an outlet leading from the said chamber, means for vaporizing a ceptacle containing 7 a volatilizable ortion of said volatilizable fluid, and means tor causing generated vapors to pass through the said chamber and "through said outlet at' a rate sufficient to produce a motion outward.

of the injurious gases, together with means whereby the outlet maybe sealed oil before the cessation of said outward motion of de le terious gases. p j v 2. In a vapor apparatus,a chamber, a receptacle containing a volatilizable fluid, said receptacle being connected to the said chamber by suitableinlet, an outletleading from thesaid chamber, means for vaporizing a portion of said volatilizable fluid, and means for causing generatedvapors to pass through the said chamber and through said. outlet at a rate suflicient to produce a motion outward of the injurious gases, whereby the outlet may the cessation of said outward motion of deleterious gases, and means whereby said recep-- tacle may be sealed ofi from said chamber.

3. In a Vapor apparatus, a chamber, a refluid, said receptacle being connected to the said chamber by suitable inlet, an outlet leading from the said chamber, means for vaporizing a ortion of said volatilizable fluid, and means or causing generated vapors to pass through the said chamber and through said outlet at a rate suflicient to produce a motion outward of the injurious gases, together with means whereby the outlet may be sealed oif before'the cessation of said outward motion of deleterious gases and means for removing the vaporized fluid from the said chamber after the sealing off of said outlet.

4. In a vacuum apparatus, a chamber, a receptacle containing a volatilizablefluid located below the chamber and connected thereto by a suitable inlet tube, an outlet tube for the chamber, means for'applying heat to both the receptacle andithe chamber, means for causing the vapors generated in the receptacle to pass into and out of the chamber, together with means whereby said receptacle may be sealed ofi from said chamber.

receptacle containing a volatilizable fluid, located below the chamber and connected thereto by a suitable inlet tube, an outlet tube for the chamber, means for heatingboth I together with means be sealed ofi before 5. In a .vacuum apparatus, a chamber, a I

located below the chamber and connected thereto by a suitable inlet tube, an outlet tube for the chamber, means for applying heat to both the receptacle and the chamber, means for causing the vapors generated in the receptacle to pass into and out of the chamber, such means consisting in part of the sources of heat applied to the receptacle and in part of a mechanical suction pump applied to the outlet tube from the chamber together with means whereby said outlet may be sealed 01f during the operation of the said source of heat and of said suction pump. I

7. Inxa vacuum apparatus, a chamber, a

receptacle containing a volatilizable fluid located belout the chamber and connected thereto by a suitable inlet tube, an outlet tube for the chamber, means for applying heat to both the receptacle and the chamber, means for causing the vapors generated in the receptacle to pass into and out of the chamber, means whereby the outlet tube from the chamber maybe sealed off during the passage of said generated vapors through the chamber, and means whereby the said receptacle may be cooled .to cause a condensation of the vapors created in the chamber uponthe removal of the source of heat.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 14th dayof-June, A. D. 1905. V

PERCY H. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

WM. H. CAPEL, GEORGE H. STOOKBRIDGE.

Images