Chamber and Hot Zone
The chamber is loaded from the front and contains a Hot Zone with a 14″ x 14″ x 28″ usable zone and a +/- 10°C temperature gradient. The heated zone consists of identical mesh or rod heating panels, providing 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 are incorporated for auxiliary equipment and sensors. The hot zone shields are mounted in a chamber frame, allowing for the thermal growth of the zone during the heat cycling. The furnace front door is hinged and water-cooled and provides full access to the loading area. The rear cover is removable for maintenance.
The optional gas heat exchanger allows for quick-cooling down to room temperature.
The furnace load is placed on the load support rails or hearth plate. The load supports are engineered to feature a high load capacity and a low thermal conductivity loss to the chamber walls.
Power Supply & Controls
Power to the hot zone is supplied by a three phase SCR-controlled power supply, including a circuit breaker, a contactor, an SCR to modulate the power to the hot zone, a main step-down transformer matched to meet the heating element resistance, volt and amp meters, and a set of water-cooled power cables to supply power to the furnace.
Two control options are available, a control panel with switches, lights, temperature controller and vacuum instrument, or 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 supplied and can be used to measure the furnace temperature up to 2000°C. For maximum temperatures above 2000°C, the TC is used for lower temperatures, and a two-color pyrometer takes over above 1500°C. The TC is automatically retracted out of the hot zone once the pyrometer is in control. 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 evacuation system allows for operation in a vacuum environment (10-2 to 10-3 Torr range).
- A 10″ or 16″ diffusion pumping system can be provided as well to achieve vacuum levels down to 10-6 Torr. All our diff pump systems include a refrigerated cold trap to prevent oil backstreaming and to obtain a lower ultimate vacuum.
- A turbo pumping system or cryogenic pumping system can be provided with a “dry” roughing pump to provide an oil-less vacuum system for ultra clean environments and to obtain a vacuum level of 10-7 to 10-8 Torr range.
Gas System
An inert or hydrogen gas system can be supplied to provide an inert or reducing environment for the work samples during the heat testing. The process 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.
For operation in Hydrogen, additional solenoids and sensors are supplied to provide safe and reliable operation. A burn-off kit ignites and monitors any flammable gas exiting the furnace, and a safety blow-off port is provided to relieve any excessive chamber pressure. For a quick cool down to atmosphere in gas, a water-cooled gas heat exchanger can be provided.
Water Cooling System
The furnace water-cooling manifold consists of multiple circuits to adequately cool all the furnace parts and includes a strainer, pressure regulator, pressure gauge, water inlet and outlet manifold, and water flow switch. Each part of the furnace is supplied with a separate cooling circuit that can be regulated by independent manual ball valves. 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: |
140 kVA, 380-480-575 V/3/50-60 Hz |
| Water: |
17 G.P.M. @ 70 °F (20 °C) and 50 P.S.I.G. (3.4 bar) |
| Process Gas: |
Argon or Nitrogen, Hydrogen 80 lpm @ 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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