Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G01M3/00—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
  • G01M3/02—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum
  • G01M3/04—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point
  • G01M3/20—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point using special tracer materials, e.g. dye, fluorescent material, radioactive material
  • G01M3/202—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point using special tracer materials, e.g. dye, fluorescent material, radioactive material using mass spectrometer detection systems
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G01M3/00—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
  • G01M3/02—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum
  • G01M3/26—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
  • G01L19/00—Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for measuring steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluent medium insofar as such details or accessories are not special to particular types of pressure gauges
  • G01L19/0092—Pressure sensor associated with other sensors, e.g. for measuring acceleration or temperature
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
  • G01L19/00—Details of, or accessories for, apparatus for measuring steady or quasi-steady pressure of a fluent medium insofar as such details or accessories are not special to particular types of pressure gauges
  • G01L2019/0053—Pressure sensors associated with other sensors, e.g. for measuring acceleration, temperature
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01L—MEASURING FORCE, STRESS, TORQUE, WORK, MECHANICAL POWER, MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, OR FLUID PRESSURE
  • G01L21/00—Vacuum gauges
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G01M3/00—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
  • G01M3/02—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum
  • G01M3/04—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point
  • G01M3/20—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point using special tracer materials, e.g. dye, fluorescent material, radioactive material
  • G01M3/202—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point using special tracer materials, e.g. dye, fluorescent material, radioactive material using mass spectrometer detection systems
  • G01M3/205—Accessories or associated equipment; Pump constructions
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01M—TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G01M3/00—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures
  • G01M3/02—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum
  • G01M3/26—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors
  • G01M3/32—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors for containers, e.g. radiators
  • G01M3/3281—Investigating fluid-tightness of structures by using fluid or vacuum by measuring rate of loss or gain of fluid, e.g. by pressure-responsive devices, by flow detectors for containers, e.g. radiators removably mounted in a test cell

Definitions

• the invention relates to a gas leak detection device for detecting a gas leak in a test object and a corresponding method.
• the specimen may be contained in a test chamber connected to a gas detector, with the specimen being pressurized with tracer gas or while the test chamber is evacuated.
• the test object contained in a test chamber or test envelope can be connected to the gas detector and evacuated while the test chamber or test envelope is or is exposed to test gas, eg room air.
• test gas eg room air.
• the test piece is pressurized with tracer gas and the outside of the test piece is sniffed with a sniffer probe connected to a vacuum pump and gas detector.
• the test object is sprayed with test gas from the outside using a spray gun while the test object is connected to the vacuum pump and the gas detector.
• Such gas leak detectors using the tracer gas helium or hydrogen typically use a mass spectrometer as the gas detector, while the vacuum pump is a high vacuum pump such as a turbomolecular pump in combination with a backing pump.
• the test object is evacuated using the vacuum pump and sprayed with a test gas from the outside (spray principle).
• the test item is pressurized with the test gas and placed in a test chamber. The test chamber is evacuated with the fore-vacuum pump and the test gas content is measured in the vacuum with the mass spectrometer.
• the proportion of test gas is a measure of the leak rate of a leak in the test object.
• Such vacuum leak detectors are marketed, for example, under the designations UL3000 and UL5000 by INFICON®.
• an integral pressure increase measurement is carried out using a test chamber following the localized measurement by spraying or sniffing the test object.
• the test piece is placed in a test chamber connected to the vacuum leak detector, which is evacuated while the test piece is pressurized with the test gas.
• the specimen is connected to the vacuum leak detector and evacuated while the test chamber surrounding the specimen is or is pressurized with the tracer gas.
• a test container is connected to the inlet of a turbomolecular pump.
• the test container can the test piece to be checked for a leak is located.
• the test object is filled with a test gas such as helium.
• the inlet pressure side of the turbomolecular pump is connected to a backing pump.
• the pressure side of another turbomolecular pump which evacuates the gas detector in the form of a mass spectrometer, is connected to an intermediate gas inlet between the turbomolecular pump and the backing pump.
• the two turbomolecular pumps are operated in such a way that test gas drawn off from the test container is fed to the mass spectrometer, while the test container and the mass spectrometer are evacuated with the aid of the fore-vacuum pump.
• EP 1 620 706 B1 describes an arrangement for countercurrent leak detection in which the high-vacuum pump evacuating the test container is unthrottled and connected directly to the inlet of the leak detector and the test container connected to the inlet without a valve. This increases the pumping speed for helium at the inlet and reduces the response time for the test gas, even when large-volume test objects are connected.
• DE 101 56 206 A and DE 10 2014 223 841 A describe arrangements of vacuum leak detectors with a booster pump.
• the booster pump is positioned in the form of an additional turbomolecular pump in the inlet area of the vacuum leak detector in order to improve the pumping speed and thus the response time of the vacuum leak detector.
• the object of the invention is to create an improved gas leak detection device that enables both a localized gas leak detection on a test object and an integral measurement, and to provide a corresponding method.
• the gas leak detection device is defined by the features of patent claim 1.
• the method according to the invention is defined by the features of patent claim 8.
• a gas pressure sensor is provided which, for the integral measurement of the total pressure increase within the test chamber or within the test object (pressure increase method), is used as a total pressure sensor and/or as a gas-selective partial pressure sensor for measuring the partial pressure increase at least one of the first Test gas different second test gas is formed within the specimen or the test chamber (partial pressure rise method).
• the partial pressure sensor can determine the partial pressure of the gas, for example, by optical spectral analysis of the second or further test gas.
• a blocking device is provided and designed to isolate the gas pressure sensor and the connection for the test item or the test chamber from the vacuum pump in terms of vacuum technology when the test item or the test chamber is examined with the gas pressure sensor.
• the first test gas is used for the integral or localizing measurement with the gas detector, while the at least second additional test gas is used for the integral pressure rise measurement with the gas pressure sensor. Switching off or suspending the operation of the vacuum pump for integral measurement according to the pressure increase method or the accumulation principle is then no longer necessary because the blocking device separates the gas pressure sensor and the test object or the test chamber from the vacuum pump during the measurement.
• the vacuum pump can be a single vacuum pump or a vacuum pump of a vacuum pump system formed from a plurality of vacuum pumps.
• the claimed vacuum pump can be a high-vacuum pump of a vacuum pump system that is formed from at least one backing pump and at least one high-vacuum pump.
• the gas detector can be a mass spectrometer with a high vacuum pump or an ultra-high vacuum pump, such as a turbomolecular pump, which uses the vacuum pump evacuating the specimen or the test chamber as a backing pump and evacuates the mass spectrometer to the atmosphere via the backing pump.
• the fore-vacuum pump and the high-vacuum pump can be referred to as a vacuum pump system.
• the gas detector can be a gas-specific optical gas detector or semiconductor sensor.
• the gas pressure sensor can be a pressure sensor for measuring the total increase in pressure within the test chamber or within the test object using the pressure increase method.
• the gas pressure sensor can be designed as a gas-selective partial pressure sensor for measuring the increase in partial pressure of the test gas.
• the relative proportion of the test gas in the examined gas mixture is referred to as the partial pressure.
• the partial pressure increase can be measured using the accumulation method, in which the partial pressure increase of the gas accumulating in the measuring area is measured with the vacuum pump shut off.
• the gas pressure sensor can in particular be a membrane window sensor, an absorption spectroscopic sensor, eg an infrared absorption sensor, an emission spectroscopic sensor, eg an OES sensor, or semiconductor gas sensors, chemical gas sensors or optical gas detectors.
• the gas pressure sensor is not necessarily a pressure gauge.
• the gas pressure sensor measures the increase in the total pressure of a gas mixture that contains the second test gas. If the partial pressure increases, the gas pressure sensor measures the increase in the partial pressure component of at least the second test gas.
• the optical spectral analysis carried out in an embodiment of the gas pressure sensor enables a particularly fast evaluation according to the pressure increase method or the accumulation principle of the total pressure and/or the partial pressure.
• the gas-selective partial pressure sensor is advantageously an OES sensor that is designed for optical emission spectroscopy.
• the pressure sensor is included in or connected to a gas conduit connecting the test piece or test chamber port to the vacuum pump or gas detector.
• the locking device can be a selectively controllable locking device that locks manually, electronically and/or pneumatically.
• selectively actuable or controllable valves can be used in the gas line paths to be blocked.
• the shut-off device can have, for example, slide gate valves, butterfly valves, or bellows shut-off valves, in order to effect the vacuum-technical separation of the gas line paths.
• the booster pump advantageously pumps during the measurement, so that the gas escaping from a leak in the test volume is compressed into the volume on the downstream-oriented side of the turbomolecular pump.
• the volume of the test chamber or the test specimen is many times larger than the volume in the area behind the compressing turbomolecular pump, so that the pressure increase in this compressed gas volume is increased by a factor of the volume ratio.
• Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an embodiment without a booster pump
• FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a corresponding exemplary embodiment with a booster pump.
• Both figures each show a gas leak detection device with the following components: a gas detector 12; a connection 20 for the test object or a test chamber accommodating the test object; a vacuum pump 16 for evacuating a specimen connected to the port 20 and the gas detector 12.
• a gas conduit path 22 connects port 20 to vacuum pump 14.
• the gas detector 12 of the exemplary embodiments illustrated is a mass spectrometer which is evacuated by a turbomolecular pump 18 .
• the gas detector 12 and the turbomolecular pump 18 can be referred to here as a detector system.
• the outlet of the turbomolecular pump 18 is connected to the inlet of the vacuum pump 16 and uses this as a backing pump.
• the vacuum pump 16 and the turbomolecular pump 18 form a vacuum pumping system 14.
• the outlet of the vacuum pump 16 is open to the atmosphere.
• a gas pressure sensor 24 which can be a total pressure sensor and/or a gas-selective partial pressure sensor 24 , for example in the form of an OES (optical emission spectroscopy) sensor, is connected to the gas line path 22 .
• a blocking device 26 is formed, via which the gas pressure sensor 24 is connected to the gas line path 22.
• the blocking device 26 is designed to establish a gas-conducting connection between the connection 20 and the gas pressure sensor 24, while the connection between the connection 20 and the other components, ie in particular the gas detector 12 and the vacuum pump 16, is separated.
• the blocking device 26 can be a switch that selectively switches through the gas line path 22 between the connection 20 and the vacuum pump 16 and blocks the connection to the gas pressure sensor 24 or vice versa.
• the switch can be a shuttle valve or a 3-2 way valve.
• the blocking device 26 is shown in the figures as a box extending over the gas lines 22, 28 to indicate that the blocking device can block the gas lines 22, 28. This can be done by a controllable valve 27 in the gas line path 22 in order to block the connection between the connection 20, the gas pressure sensor 24 and the vacuum pump 26.
• the blocking device of the illustrated exemplary embodiments includes a controllable valve 25 for blocking the gas line path 28, which connects the mass spectrometric high-vacuum pump 18, i.e. the one connected to the gas detector 12, to the connection 20 and the gas pressure sensor 24.
• at least part of the blocking device 26 is therefore contained in the gas line path 22 in order to be able to block it.
• the gas pressure sensor 24 can be connected to the connecting branch 30, which connects the backing pump 16 to the turbomolecular pump 18 connects.
• the blocking device 26 is formed by the controllable valve 29 in the gas line path 30 .
• an additional booster pump 32 in the form of a turbomolecular pump is included in the gas flow path 22 to evacuate the port 20 via the vacuum pump 16 .
• the gas pressure sensor 24 and the blocking device 26 are advantageously connected there to the gas line path 22 downstream of the booster pump 32 and upstream of the backing pump 16, i.e. connected to the section of the gas line path 22 which connects the booster pump 32 to the backing pump 16.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Examining Or Testing Airtightness (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=79170731

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (2)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2020
  • 2020-12-21 DE DE102020134370.1A patent/DE102020134370A1/de active Pending
• 2021
  • 2021-12-01 KR KR1020237018618A patent/KR20230123937A/ko active Pending
  • 2021-12-01 WO PCT/EP2021/083737 patent/WO2022135854A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2021-12-01 US US18/265,164 patent/US20240019336A1/en active Pending
  • 2021-12-01 CN CN202180082457.XA patent/CN116569015A/zh active Pending
  • 2021-12-01 JP JP2023534329A patent/JP7822383B2/ja active Active
  • 2021-12-01 EP EP21835173.2A patent/EP4264218B1/de active Active
  • 2021-12-17 TW TW110147476A patent/TWI904305B/zh active

Patent Citations (5)

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