Vacuum/volume

Pergamon PII:SOO42-207X(96)000735

47lnumbers 6-8/pages 815 to 81811996 Copyright 0 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved 0042-207X/96 $15.00+.00

Theoretical study on the pumping mechanism of a dry scroll vacuum pump

Yu Su, Tadashi Sawada, Jun-ichi Takemotob and Shuji Haga, aMining College, Akita University, I- 1, Tegata Gakuen-cho, Akita 010, Japan; blwata Air Compressor Mfg. Co., Ltd., 3176, Shinyoshida-cho, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223, Japan

The leak flow through clearances between the fixed and orbiting scrolls of a dry scroll vacuum pump is considered to be a dominant factor which determines the pumping performance. Since the leak flow sometimes ranges from viscous to slip to molecule flow along a clearance, the equation which can describe the flow through the three flow regimes was developed by the weighted linear combination of two equations of molecule and slip flow. The pressure distribution in gas pockets is considered to be another important factor for the pumping performance. The predicted ultimate pressures show a reasonable agreement with those of a practical machine. Copyright 0 7996 Elsevier Science Ltd. Key words: Dry pump, molecule flow, scroll type, ultimate pressure, viscous flow.

Introduction
Dry scroll vacuum pumps (DSVPs) are gradually prevailing in semiconductor and other thin film industries due to their advantage of oil-freeness, wide working range, easy maintenance, toughness against particles, small variation of torque, low noise, low vibration and so on. There remain, however, some unsolved problems with the DSVP, such as the pumping mechanism and the design method. DSVPs are now designed mainly referring to the experience of scroll compressors. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the pumping mechanism and to develop a reliable design method of DSVPs.

Theoretical analysis
Figure I shows a typical DSVP which consists of two involuted scrolls with phase difference of 180, one of which is called the fixed scroll and the other the orbiting scroll which orbits with a radius Ror( = 5.0 mm) around the fixed scroll. As the two scrolls gear into each other, several enclosed volumes (called gas pockets) which are denoted as V,,,, Vo,, Vo2, Vo4and V,,, V,7, V13, V,,, are formed. Contact type seals called tip seals are used in axial direction and in radial direction, parts with small clearance between two gas pockets work as seals. The position where pocket V,, just formed is regarded as the zero position of angle 0 and is the positive direction of angle 0 is taken as indicated in Figure I. Volumes of gas pockets usually decrease with the orbiting of the scroll and the gas in them is compressed gradually. Due to the compression and the leak through seals, the state in pockets
815

Y Su er al: Pumping

mechanism

of a dry scroll vacuum

pump

becomes unsteady, but in order to simplify the problem, continuous orbiting of the scroll is divided into very short periods and it is assumed that pseudosteady state holds in seals and pockets. In the following sections, the two main parts of this study, that is, evaluations of leak flow through seals and pressure distribution in pockets are presented.

be written as:

The leak flow through seals. Radial clearance at a seal is shown in Figure 2(a) by a dotted line. The seal ranges from -0.25 rr to 0.25 rc of angle $J measured from the section of minimum clearance. In an actual seal, clearance changes with angle 4, but it is assumed in the calculation that a seal is composed of a series of parallel plate units with different height s shown in Figure 2(b). If the pressures P, and P,, at both ends of the seal are given, pressures in other points such as P?, P3,..., P,_ , can be solved by the iterative method. The flow through seals and pockets may vary from viscous to slip to free molecule flow along flow paths due to pressure changes. So it is necessary to obtain an overall equation that can be applied for the three different flow regimes. For a parallel plate unit shown in Figure 2, the mass flow rate Qm in the free molecule flow can be obtained referring to Knudsen1

where p is viscosity, p is density and 2= kT/($mr2p) is the mean free path of molecules. In a similar way to Browne and John,2 the overall equation for the flow rate can be given by

Qp = ~Qm+(l -y>Q.r

(3)

where y is the fraction of all molecules emitted from the surface which behave as free molecules and can be expressed as y = exp { -ES/( 1.4881)) (4)

As the pressure rises high enough, 7 gets to be zero and as the pressure becomes close to zero, y gets to be 1. For a parallel plate model, the results from above equations are compared with experimental data.3 As there is some discrepancy between calculated results and experimental ones in free molecule flow regime, the following revised formula with three coefficients is proposed to improve the accuracy of the theoretical results.

Qm=

_L-_ 3&v,

b's2 (b+Mdx

dp

(1)
+[ 1-exp

($$)]CQ.+

GQ,.J

(5)

where v, (= Jm) is the most probable velocity, f is the momentum accomodation coefficient, b (= 28 mm) is the height of wrap, dp/dx is the pressure variation along the length direction of a parallel plane unit. In the slip flow, by use of the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equation and slip boundary conditions, the mass flow rate Q.). can

(a)

where coefficients C, = 10, C, = 1.X6, C, = 1,5, Q,, and Qps are the first term and the second term in eqn (2). This time, a reasonable agreement is seen in Figure 3. Looking at the seal movement on the coordinate system fixed on the seal position, it will be found that both the fixed and the orbiting scroll move to the direction opposite to orbiting. Adding the flow rate Q* (= pbsU, Li: wall velocity due to orbiting) due to the wall movement to QP, the leak flow rate Q, through a radial clearance will be

Qr = Q,+Qw

(6)

There also exists a leak flow Qa through the axial clearance, and it can be calculated in the same way as the leak flow through radial clearance. The total leak flow Q (= QT.+Qo) through a seal can be solved through the integration of the resulting equation.
The pressure distribution in pockets. Before solving the leak flow

rate through a seal, the pressures on both pocket ends must have

With modified coefficients

Angle along seal section

cp (rad.)

* Theoretical value of molecular flow limit

(b)
Pl p2 p3 P-1 pll

f
Figure 2. Radial clearance
lation. in the seal section and the model for calcu-

01

1o-3

1111

10-2

111
10-t

ill

ll

10

Inverse Knudsen

number

for upstream

pressure

KyU

Figure 3. Non-dimensional

flow rate through

a two parallel plate channel.

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YSu ef a/: Pumping mechanism

of a dry scroll vacuum pump

l

been determined. This means the pressure distribution in the front and rear pockets must be calculated. Due to the wall movement and volume reduction of pockets, the flows in pockets are
similar to those in seals, i.e. unsteady flows. Assuming again that the flow is pseudosteady, the pressure variation along a pocket can be obtained as follows

Assuming isothermal process in the DSVP. calculate the average density p,,,, and pressure pn,, by the following equations.

P nlr

pf'+Qt-Qz
=

V,

(9

p,,,,.= p y
l

where 5 is the fraction of all molecules emitted from the surface which behave as free molecules, II the width of gas pockets and h the height of wrap (see Figure I ). Using mean fluid depth V,!,= uhi(Lt+h), < can be written as

Judge whether Q = 2~ rad or not. If 0 = 2n then go to (7). otherwise let p = y,,,, p = p,!,,and then turn back to (3). Compare the suction pressure p,,,$ with p, if convergent condition is satisfied, calculate the average suction pressure over one orbiting and then finish the calculation. otherwise let p = p,,,,.p = p,),> and 0 = 0 rad, and then turn back to (3).

Results and discussion First, an important parameter used in rhis paper should be explained, that is, the time constant which means the time required for the pressure distribution to respond completely to the wall speed measured from the instant just when the outermost pocket V,, closes. At step (3) in the process of calculation, the effect of walls speed on the pressure distribution, in the outermost pocket V,,, is supposed to be 0% at the instant t = 0. and then is supposed to increase linearly with time r and until it reaches 100% at the instant I = I,. The time constant r, can be estimated to be about 0.02LO.05 s according to Ref. 4. In Figure 5. both the calculated and experimental ultimate pressures are presented against the orbiting speed with the time constant. For the time constant of r, = 0.025 s. the calculated ultimate pressure seems to be in good agreement with those attained by practical machines in high orbiting speed (over 1300 rpm). At an orbiting speed of lower than 1200 rpm, the calculated value shows the same tendency as the experimental one, but with the decrease in orbiting speeds. the difference between the theoretical and experimental values can not be ignored. In Figure 6. both the calculated and experimental ultimate pressures are presented against the orbiting speed. The parameter is the minimum clearance ,Y,,,. low orbiting speed. the calculated In ultimate pressures seem to be quite close to those of the practical machine. A DSVP tested here is rated at orbiting speed of 1460 rpm and the minimum clearance s,,, = 0.06 mm. When a DSVP works on an orbiting speed lower than the rated one. the temperature difference between the fixed and orbiting scrolls decreases. which

To solve the pressure distribution in a pocket, first the pressure in the center of the pocket is assumed, and then solving eqn (7), the pressure distribution in the pocket is obtained. Using obtained distribution data, the average pressure over the pocket is calculated and compared with the given one. If there is some difference between the calculated and the given average pressures, after modifying the centre pressure, the process will be repeated until they both get a good agreement. For the case where orbiting speed o = 152.89 rad/s, and phase angle 0 = x, pressure distributions in different pockets are shown in Figure 4. In pocket V,,,, the pressure distribution varies sharply at one end, but in pocket C[,+it is almost constant along the pocket. Process of calculation
l

Set the primary phase angle 0 at 0 rad and then calculate the suction volume and every pockets volume V. Assume the average density p and the average pressure p in the suction volume and every pocket. Then calculate the pressure distribution in the pocket corresponding to the given average pressure. Calculate flow-in and flow-out rates of every pocket through seals during the period At and also calculate the volume change of every pocket after At.

h :.

FS 5 Q

-F
I

i,, ,, 0, mcan=1.236 Pa) 1/1,3, @,,,1,=9658 Pa)

w=152.9 rad./s
8=a rad. I

b-l_.
I
71

Theoretical Expreimental

0.5?l

1.571

2.057

lo%/-Orbiting Figure 5. Ultimate pressures speed (rpm) time constants. for different

1500

Angle Figure 4, Non-dimensional

along pocket Q (rad.) distributions in a pocket

pressure

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YSu eta/: Pumping mechanism

of a dry scroll vacuum pump

may lead the minimum clearance to a larger value than the rated one. From theoretical analyses, it has been found that the ultimate pressure is sensitive to the change of the minimum clearance s,. Unfortunately, a clear relationship between the temperature and the minimum clearance has not yet been obtained. More detailed work on this point is now planned. References
10-11 0

500

1000

1500

M Knudsen, Ann Phgs, 8,713(1909). V dA Browne and J E A John, Vacuum, 20, 525 (1970).
T Sawada and M Nakamura, J Vacuum Society of Japan, 34,31 I (199 I). C Hayashi, Vucuum Technology, Kyoritsu-shuppan, 581 (1985) (in

Orbiting speed (rpm) Figure 6. Ultimate pressures for different radial clearances.

Japanese).

818