Chamber and Hot Zone
The chamber is loaded from the front and contains a Hot Zone with a 24″ x 24″ x 24″ usable zone and a +/- 10°C temperature gradient. The rod heating elements provide four-sided heating. The elements feature excellent uniformity and longevity. The furnace chamber is manufactured from double-walled stainless steel welded together and polished for a clean finish and good vacuum integrity.
Chamber ports allow auxiliary equipment and sensors to access the chamber environment. The hot zone shields are mounted in a chamber frame, allowing for the thermal growth of the zone during the heat cycling. The chamber has both a front and rear door for complete and easy access to the hot zone, facilitating loading, unloading and maintenance.
The gas heat exchanger and circulator allows for quick-cooling down to room temperature.
A load frame supports the furnace load and is engineered to allow a high load capacity while minimizing thermal conductivity losses to the chamber walls. An optional load cart facilitates loading and unloading of large and heavy loads.
Power Supply & Controls
The power supply is sized and designed to match the elements and power usage at the maximum furnace temperature. Extra secondary transformer taps are provided to accommodate changing characteristics of aging elements and shielding and to extend the useful life of the hot zone. Water-cooled power cables supply power to the hot zone of the furnace, allowing the cables to be smaller in size. All protective and safety devices are incorporated, meeting all applicable NFPA standards.
Furnace control is established through either the classic control panel with switches, lights, temperature controller and vacuum instrument, or by means of a Computer Interface package with HMI software and Industrial touch-panel PC. Both offer full control of the furnace and are easy to operate. The Computer package adds data acquisition, alarms, recipe storage, security and networking.
A type “C” sheathed thermocouple is used to measure the furnace temperature. A safety over-temperature controller shuts off power to the hot zone if the maximum operating temperature is exceeded.
Vacuum System
- The basic system, an evacuation system, consists of a Rotary Vane mechanical pump, an electro-pneumatic
vacuum valve, and a vacuum gauge. This vacuum system will allow for operation in a vacuum environment (10-2 to 10-3 Torr range).
- A 16″ or 20″ diffusion pumping system can be provided to achieve vacuum levels down to 10-6 Torr. All our diffusion pumping systems include a refrigerated cold trap to prevent oil backstreaming and to obtain a lower ultimate vacuum.
- A turbo pumping system is available upon request to obtain a vacuum level of 10-7 to 10-8 Torr range.
Gas System
An inert or hydrogen gas system provides an inert or reducing environment for the work samples during the heat testing.
The basic inert gas system includes a solenoid-operated inlet valve, a compound gauge (30 P.S.I.G. x 30 in. Hg.), a gas flow meter, and a 2 P.S.I.G. outlet relief valve to maintain a positive pressure.
Mass flow controllers for programmable gas flows, partial pressure control, and operation in wet or dry hydrogen is all available. We customize the gas system to meet process requirements.
Water Cooling System
The furnace water cooling system consists of an inlet and outlet manifold to distribute water effectively throughout the furnace components. Each water circuit can be regulated by independent manual ball valves to maximize cooling efficiency. A water flow interlock protects the furnace in the event of a water flow failure. Power to the hot zone is turned off if water flow is below recommended minimum for a certain amount of time.
Utilities
| Power: |
up to 200 kVA based on configuration, 380-480-575 V/3/50-60 Hz |
| Water: |
up to 30 G.P.M. (120 lpm) based on kVA @ 70°F (20 °C) and 50 P.S.I.G. (3.4 bar) |
| Process Gas: |
Argon or Nitrogen, Hydrogen 80 L.P.M. @ 50 P.S.I.G. (3.4 bar) |
| Compressed Air: |
60-90 P.S.I.G. (4.1 – 6.2 bar) filtered. |
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