Edwards Delivers Vacuum Carts to Diamond Light Source
TEWKSBURY, MA (19 November 2009) - Leading vacuum technology company Edwards has designed and delivered 14 bespoke vacuum carts to the UK's national synchrotron, Diamond Light Source, on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Oxfordshire, which is currently the world's brightest medium-energy source.
The carts provide mobile high vacuum pumping stations for the synchrotron's beamlines to help create the optimum vacuum conditions required by researchers. They also have the capability to be fitted with residual gas analyzers (RGAs) to analyze the integrity of the vacuum in the beamlines.
Further carts are likely to be required in the future as Diamond is in the process of adding more beamlines to the facility during Phase II of its development, which is due for completion in 2012 and will bring the total number of beamlines to 22.
The easy-to-use, mobile, 'plug and go' Edwards unit means researchers can avoid the cost and space requirements of numerous fixed mechanical pumping stations on each beamline. Evacuating and venting the beamlines using the carts helps to ensure the cleanliness of the systems and so helps in achieving vacuum pressures less than 5 x 10-9 mbar in the beamlines. Pressures in the beamlines need to be kept in the ultra-high vacuum (UHV) region to ensure contamination does not migrate into the accelerator sections, to prevent contamination of x-ray optics and, in some beamlines, to maintain cleanliness of the samples under investigation.
Each Edwards cart comprizes an EXT(TM) 225H compound molecular vacuum pump, an XDS(TM)10 dry scroll pump used as the backing pump, and a combination of active Pirani vacuum, active inverted magnetron and active wide range gauges. These are enclosed in a cart designed to meet the specific size and orientation requirements of the Diamond beamlines and which can be wheeled around the beamlines or to other locations as required.
Edwards consulted the Diamond vacuum team throughout the design and production process of the pumping carts. Edwards designers and production engineers worked with Diamond's specification, such as the cart dimensions, the orientation of the inlet vacuum ports along with guidelines for position of general service ports such as compressed air, power, and nitrogen for venting to come up with a suitable cart design. Diamond staff visited the Edwards factory during testing of the prototype cart and final modifications were made to meet the requirements of the synchrotron.
Edwards has also supplied conversion kits to enable vacuum carts it had previously supplied to Diamond to be upgraded to the new design.
The EXT255H turbomolecular pump uses multi-stage axial flow turbines combined with magnetic and ceramic bearings to provide reliable, hydrocarbon- and vibration-free ultra high vacuum with ultimate pressure down to 5 x 10-9 mbar.
The XDS10 acts as the backing pump, delivering low pressure combined with a high volume flow rate of up to 10m3/hr. Its unique design isolates the vacuum environment from any type of lubricant and also protects the bearing from any process vapors. Both pumps require minimal maintenance.
"Edwards was able to provide both high quality, reliable vacuum equipment and the design flexibility to create a solution tailored to the Diamond vacuum team's precise requirements. The XDS dry scroll pump in particular offers significant benefits and is the roughing pump standard that has been chosen for Diamond.
"After supplying equipment to the previous national synchrotron at Daresbury, where the initial design of Diamond was developed, we were very pleased to contribute to this facility," says Mike Shaw, European Sales Manager - Scientific, at Edwards. "Diamond had a very demanding specification but by combining the skills of our design and production teams we were able to create exactly what they needed.
"Synchrotron radiation is used in a wide range of research - for example, the Diamond synchrotron is being used by one team of researchers to study the causes of diseases such as Alzheimer's. We are delighted that our equipment is contributing to such ground-breaking studies."
For more information on Edwards range of vacuum products and accessories, visit www.edwardsvacuum.com, call Edwards National Sales Center 1-800-848-9800 (toll free USA) or email: info@edwardsvacuum.com
About Edwards:
Edwards, whose 90th anniversary is in 2009, is a leading supplier of integrated solutions for the manufacture of microelectronics devices, including semiconductors and flat panel displays. It is also a world leader in vacuum technology for industrial, scientific, process, and R&D applications. Edwards employs around 3,000 people globally, in the design, manufacture and support of high technology vacuum equipment. Edwards invented the concept of the commercial oil-free 'dry' vacuum pump and now supplements this with a wide range of other pumping technologies as well as related products and services.
Editorial contacts:
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Freshwater Technology
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email: sarah.clarke@freshwater-uk.com
For further information contact:
Miles Firth,
Manor Royal, Crawley,
West Sussex RH10 9LW
Tel: +44 1293 603451
email: miles.firth@edwardsvacuum.com
