ACHIEVING COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH MEASUREMENT INNOVATION

THERMAL MASS FLOW CONTROLLER

GAS CONVERSION FACTORS
Jim Chiun Wang, Ph.D.
CareFusion Respiratory Technologies
Yorba Linda, CA 92887
ccwang_2000@yahoo.com

Long Beach, CA
March 2014
Agenda
Introduction
Thermal mass flow controllers and their calibration
The gas conversion factors & FAQs
Review of the thermal flow sensor scaling relation
Review of laminar flow element scaling relation
Derive the linearized gas conversion factors
Answers to the FAQs

THERMAL MASS FLOW CONTROLLER
Semiconductor Ultra-Clean Processes


Particulates contaminate the silicon wafers They destroy the
nanometer-sized line features of the micro-electronic circuit

Corrosion generates contaminants

Moisture adsorbed in gas lines, process vessel walls
Gases such as Cl2 or HCl or SiH4 ..Interacts with water
Corrosion Rust
Rust adsorbs more moisture
More Corrosion More Rust etc.

Contaminants breaks loose particulates
MFC Calibration ..
Not OK to calibrate MFCs directly with the
process gases
Some gases are corrosive once exposed to these gases the
MFCs are contaminated
Some gases are Toxic
Ultra-pure gases are rare and expensive
Some gases may be proprietary

MFCs are usually calibrated with nitrogen (N
2
)
MFC Calibration
Not OK to calibrate MFCs with the process
gases
Some gases are corrosive once exposed to these gases the
MFCs are contaminated
Some gases are Toxic
Some gases are rare and expensive
Some gases may be proprietary
MFCs are usually calibrated with nitrogen (N
2
)
Must Guarantee Process Gas Accuracy
1% of reading accuracy (covering 10% to 100% of full scale)

Conflicting Requirements
CALIBRATION OPTIONS
Characterize multiple MFC samples with process gases to
establish empirical models. Use the empirical model as the
calibration curve for production MFCs
Costly & time consuming: MFCs are nonlinear devices
Individual calibration curves are needed for hundreds of process
gases
Manufacturing tolerance: One model does not fit all MFCs
Insufficient accuracy
Exact similarity scaling from calibration gas to process gases
Method not available until recently
Gas Conversion Factors Linear scaling used by nearly all
conventional MFC manufacturers. Easy to apply but insufficient
accuracy (Issues). Sometimes enhanced by using surrogate gases
chosen by experience.


Gas Conversion Factors
Gas Conversion Factors are numerical constants used to relate the
process gas flow rate to the calibration gas flow rate corresponding to the
same mass flow sensor output:
To determine the process gas flow rate, simply multiply the N
2
flow
rate by the gas conversion factor (not very accurate)
Gas Conversion Factors are conventionally estimated by taking the
ratio of the molar specific heat of nitrogen, to that of the process gas:
(Subscript in CF
C
stands for the conventional, estimated, conversion factor)
PG
p
N
p
C
C
C
CF
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
~
.
.
2
heat specifc molar gas for the stands
.
p
C
2
E q u a l F lo w S e n s o r O u t p u t
P r o c e s s G a s F lo w R a t e
C a li b r a t i o n G a s ( N ) F lo w R a t e
G a s C o n v e r s i o n F a c t o r
(

(

Gas Conversion Factors - conti
Gas Conversion Factors are conventionally estimated by taking the
ratio of the molar specific heat of nitrogen, to that of the process gas:
(Subscript in CF
C
stands for the conventional, estimated, conversion factor)
PG
p
N
p
C
C
C
CF
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
~
.
.
2
heat specifc molar gas for the stands
.
p
C
Empirical fudge factors are also used to tweak the CF
2
2
p N
N
C
p PG
PG
C N
CF
C N
.
.
| |
|
\ .
~
| |
|
\ .
N - Spin Factors ??!!
(Nothing but fudge factors)
Conventional Gas Conversion Factors-
Issues
Insufficient accuracy

Accuracy is usually fair at lower flow rates
Accuracy degrades when flow rate increases,
indicative of sensor nonlinearity
Overall accuracy is gas-dependent - OK for
some gases but poor for most other gases
Conventional Gas Conversion Factors
Issues - conti
Nonlinearity Error
Gas-dependent: For gases with poor thermal
conductivity the gas conversion factor errors can
sometimes exceed 10%
Design / Model Dependent
Gas conversion factor for MFCs made by different
manufacturers or models may differ by a few percent

MFCs from different vendors are generally
speaking non-interchangeable !
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What are the gas conversion factors?
Are they intrinsic gas properties?
If so, how could they be hardware design dependent?
If they are design dependent, how could they correlate (more or
less) with the gas specific heat?
If gas specific heat is not the only thing important, what else may
influence the gas conversion factors, and in what way?
How could the gas thermal conductivity affect MFC nonlinearity,
when it is not even included in the conversion factor formula ?
There is a void in the understanding of how the thermal
mass flow meters & controllers work

Thermal Mass Flow Controller Scaling
Relations (Recent Studies)
Exact scaling relations were obtained by using similarity
transforms
1. Thermal Mass Flow Sensor**
2. Laminar Flow Element**
3. Flow Control Valve
Ref : Thermal Mass Flow Controller Scaling Relations Wang, C. Measurement Science Conference,
March 2012.
Combine these scaling relations to re-examine the gas
conversion factors
Review the scaling relations for the thermal mass flow
sensor and the laminar flow element
Reconsider the gas conversion factor issues

Thermal Mass Flow Sensor

Thermal Mass Flow Sensor
Scaling Relation

{ }
)
`

=
k
c D V
W W
p
D

Pr Re
k
S

( )

)

|
|
.
|

\
|

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
} }

+ +
+
=
+
+
=
+
Pr Re
1
Pr Re
2
Pr Re
1
0
1 1
0

Pr) (Re S
D
D
L
D
D
L
D
D
L
dx
dr
d
dx
dr
d
T T G kD
r r
D W
t
where
S - thermal mass flow sensor output (see below)
K - thermal conductivity of the gas
c
p
gas specific heat

V mean flow velocity
D sensor tube diameter
Re
D
, Pr are the Reynolds number and the Prandtl number, resp. and
Re
D
Pr together as a product is also known as the Pclet number
Ref: "A Similarity theory for Thermal Mass Flow Sensor and Its Gas Conversion Factors", Wang, C.
Measurement Science Conference, Jan. 25, 2007, Long Beach, CA.
Sensor similarity scaling relation derived from heat transfer theory
Raw Sensor Output vs. Flow
Raw data from a typical thermal mass flow sensor
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
S
e
n
s
o
r

O
u
t
p
u
t
Actual Gas Flow (sccm)
Ar
CF4
SF6
CO2
CH4
CHF3
He
N2
Sensor Output Scaled by using
Similarity Theory

0
20
40
60
80
100
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
(
S
e
n
s
o
r

O
u
t
)
/
(
k
*
E
k

)





u = Re Pr *Ec
Sensor Output in Similarity Variables
N2
He
Ar
CF4
SF6
CO2
CH4
CHF3
HBr
Cl2
NH3
CH3F
C2H4
BCl3
SiCl4
C2F6
C4F8
CH2F2
C4F6
Xe
Ref: Thermal Mass Flow Sensor Similarity Theory - Comparison with Experiments Wang, C.
Measurement Science Conference, March 2008, Long Beach, CA.

Data correlated by using the similarity model

Sensor-Alone Gas Conversion Factor
Very low-flow MFCs (~5 sccm N
2
) uses no LFE bypass
MFC conversion factor the same as sensor conversion factor



S- curve slope proportional to C
p
at equal

Linear approximation conventional gas conversion factor CF
C






Gas conversion factors explained for the first time
) ( Pr) (Re
D k
C m
W k W k S
p
D
-
= =
) ( ) (
' '
u = u =
-
W
D
C
kD
C
W k
m d
S d
p p
) ( ) (
) ( ) (
] / [
] / [
2
'
2
'
2
N N p
PG PG p
N
PG
W C
W C
m d dS
m d dS
u
u
=
-
-
RePr u
2
2 2 2 2
) (
) (
]

/ [
]

/ [
N p
PG p
PG PG
N N
PG PG
N N
C
C
Q T R PM
Q T R PM
Q
Q
= =
-
-
-
-

^
2 2 2
^
2
( ) ( )
( )
( )
N p N p N
PG
PG p PG
p PG N
FC
M C C
Q
M C
Q C
C
-
-

= = =

2
2
) (
) (
] / [
] / [
N p
PG p
N
PG
C
C
m S
m S
=
-
-
2
2
) (
) (
] [
] [
N p
PG p
PG
N
C
C
m
m
=
-
-
- -
= Q m
At equal sensor output S:
Laminar Flow Element
A typical LFE
Consists of multiple round tubes of finite length
Installed in parallel to the flow sensor
Experiences the same pressure drop as the sensor
Serves as the flow divider (Not necessarily linear)





Ref: Calibration of Nonlinear Laminar Flow Elements for Multigas Applications, Wang, C.
Measurement Science Conference, 2009 Pasadena, CA.

Laminar Flow Element Scaling Relation
Without the entrance effect, the pressure drop should be linearly
dependent on flow by Poiseuilles law:
4
128 QL
P
D

t
A =
Entrance Effect Nonlinearity in pressure-flow relation
Nonlinear scaling achieved by similarity transform

2
Re

~
D
u
f
P
D
L

| |
|
A
\ .
Each LFE passage is a short
capillary tube
Laminar flow in short tubes
suffers from Entrance Effect
Sensitive to the exact shape
at the tube entrance
Ref : Calibration of Nonlinear Laminar Flow Elements for Multi-gas Applications Wang, C.
Measurement Science Conference, Long Beach, CA. March 2009

VD
D
Re
Laminar Flow Element Data in
Primitive Variables
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

D
r
o
p

(
m
m
H
g
)
Mean Flow Velocity (ft/sec)
Laminar Flow Element LFE-C
He
Ar
H2
N2
CO2
CH4
CHF3
CF4
SF6
Raw LFE Data
Laminar Flow Element Data
Scaled by Similarity Method
Ref : Calibration of Nonlinear Laminar Flow Elements for Multi-gas Applications Wang, C.
Measurement Science Conference, Long Beach, CA. March 2009
0.00
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.10
0.12
0.14
0.16
0.18
0.20
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

V
2
/
(
2

P
)
Re D/L
Laminar Flow Element LFE-C
He
Ar
H2
N2
CO2
CH4
CHF3
CF4
SF6
Laminar Flow Element
Bypass Split-Ratio
Using the similarity method, the split-ratio of the LFE was derived
and shown to be gas dependent
LFE and sensor under the same AP
2
Re

~
D
V
f
P
D
L
| |
|
A
\ .
2 2
S S B B
S S S S B B B B
B B S S
V V
V D D V D D
f f
L L


v v
=
| | | |
| |
\ . \ .
Similarity Scaling for LFE is nonlinear but nonlinearity is mild
Explicit solution after linearization using Peusuilles law
4
128
D
QL
P
t

= A
D
L
VD
VL
V
P
D
Re
64 64
2
1
2
2
= =
A

( )
4 4
4
4
;
S S S B B B
S B
S S B B
S B
S B B S
Q L Q L
D D
L D Q
Q L D

=
= =
The bypass split-ratio is affected by the gas viscosity temp-co

Laminar Flow Element Split Ratio - conti
The LFE split-ratio for the process gas differs from that for the
calibration gas (N
2
) !
Total flow through the MFC
Q
T
= Number of LFE tubes * Flow per Tube Q
B
+ Sensor Flow Q
S

n No.bypass tubes


.. Calibration Gas


.. Process Gas

4
4
1
S S B
T B S S
B B S
L D
Q n Q Q n Q
L D

- - - -
| |
= + = +
|
\ .

| |
| |
2
2
2
2
4
4
1
T N
S S B
N
B B S
N
S
N
Q
L D
n
L D
Q

-
-
(
| |
(

| = +
|
(
\ .
(


| |
| |
4
. .
. .
4
. .
. .
1
T P G
S S B
P G
B B S
P G
S P G
Q
L D
n
L D
Q

-
-
(
( | |

= + |
|
(
\ .
(

Mass Flow Controller Gas Conversion
Factor
Assume tube number n >> 1, and/or D
B
4
>> D
S
4
, or both.
Linearized GCF for the total MFC flow
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
2 2
2
2 2 2
^
2 . .
. . . . . .
^
. . . .
( )
( )
B B
N S S N S p N T P G
P G P G P G
T N B S S B S
P G N N P G N
p PG
Q C Q
Q Q
C



= =
Here [Qs]
P.G
/ [Qs]
N2
is the sensor-alone Gas Conversion Factor
Total MFC Gas Conversion Factor, Linearized
| |
| |
| |
| |
2
2
^
2
. .
^
. .
( )
( )
B
N S p N
P G
L
B S
P G N
p PG
C
CF
C

=
Compare CF
L
against CF
C
The linearized CF
L
vs. the conventional CF
C

| |
| |
| |
| |
2
2
^
2
. .
^
. .
( )
( )
B
N S p N
P G
L
S B
N P G
p PG
C
CF
C

=
PG
p
N
p
C
C
C
CF
|
.
|

\
|
|
.
|

\
|
~
.
.
2
Gas specific heat dominates the Gas Conversion
Factor


The viscosity temperature-coefficient affects the gas
conversion factors
The gas Cp and gas viscosity must be enumerated at
the right operating temperature

for the sensor and for the
bypass respectively

Brief Summary
Linearized scaling relations led to linearized gas
conversion factor CF
L
which is consistent with
the convention gas conversion factor CF
C
Explained why the gas conversion factors are
dominated by C
p

Explained how gas viscosity and viscosity temp-
co affects the gas conversion factors
Explained why MFCs with different bypass LFE
can have different gas conversion factors
Additional Discussions
The linearized gas conversion factors CF
L
are
valid only in the linear range of the MFC.
Accuracy depends on how the linear range is
defined
To achieve the best accuracy, the full nonlinear
scaling method of similarity transform must be
used.
The similarity transforms also provide insight
into the gas conversion factor related issues
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
What are the gas conversion factors?
Are they intrinsic gas properties?
If so, how could they be hardware design dependent?
If they are design dependent, how could they correlate (more or
less) with the gas specific heat?
If gas specific heat is not the only thing important, what else may
influence the gas conversion factors, and in what way?
How could the gas thermal conductivity affect MFC nonlinearity,
when it is not even included in the conversion factor formula ?
There is a void in the understanding of how the thermal
mass flow meters & controllers work

What are the gas conversion factors?
Gas Conversion Factors are numerical constants
used to relate the process gas flow rate to the
calibration gas flow rate corresponding to the same
mass flow sensor output:

2
EqualFlowSensor Output
Process Gas Flow Rate
Galibration Gas (N ) Flow Rate
Gas Conversion Factor
(

(

Are Gas Conversion Factors intrinsic
gas properties?
No. Gas conversion factors are not intrinsic gas
properties
The exact scaling of the mass flow rate involves
The gas specific heat
The gas thermal conductivity
The gas viscosity and viscosity temp-co
MFC design parameters such as L
S
, D
S
, L
B
, D
B
How could the gas conversion factors be
hardware design dependent?
The exact scaling depends not only on the gas thermal physical
properties but also on the design of the MFC
Sensor




Bypass / LFE

This explains why GCFs from different manufacturers or models
can be different.


( )

)

|
|
.
|

\
|

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
} }

+ +
+
=
+
+
=
+
Pr Re
1
Pr Re
2
Pr Re
1
0
1 1
0

Pr) (Re S
D
D
L
D
D
L
D
D
L
dx
dr
d
dx
dr
d
T T G kD
r r
D W
t

{ }
)
`

=
k
c D V
W W
p
D

Pr Re
k
S

2
Re

~
D
u
f
P
D
L

| |
|
A
\ .

VD
D
Re
How could the gas conversion factors
vary from unit to unit?
The exact scaling depends not only on the gas thermal physical
properties but also on the design of the MFC
Sensor




Bypass / LFE
Manufacturing tolerances in L
S,
D
S,
L
B,
D
B
, etc.. can affect the gas
conversion factors
This explains why GCFs can vary somewhat from unit to unit



( )

)

|
|
.
|

\
|

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
} }

+ +
+
=
+
+
=
+
Pr Re
1
Pr Re
2
Pr Re
1
0
1 1
0

Pr) (Re S
D
D
L
D
D
L
D
D
L
dx
dr
d
dx
dr
d
T T G kD
r r
D W
t

{ }
)
`

=
k
c D V
W W
p
D

Pr Re
k
S

2
Re

~
D
u
f
P
D
L
| |
|
A
\ .

VD
D
Re
How could the gas conversion factors
correlate with the gas specific heat?
The linearized gas conversion factors are
dominated by gas specific heat
The conventional gas conversion factors are
OK in the linear range
The nonlinearity of the mass flow controllers are
strongly influenced by the gas thermal
conductivity.
The gas conversion factors do not work well for
gases with poor thermal conductivity
What else may influence the gas
conversion factor? How?
MFC design factors that affect the GCF
Sensor tube length
Sensor heated tube length
Sensor tube diameter
Sensor temperature profile
Bypass LFE tube length and diameter
Bypass tube count
Bypass temperature
Exact scaling can only be achieved by using
the similarity transform method
CONCLUSIONS
Thermal mass flow controller gas conversion
factors are reviewed in the light of the similarity
scaling method
Linearized gas conversion factors are derived
and improves the conventional gas conversion
factors
Frequently asked questions about gas
conversion factors are answered
The similarity scaling theory successfully
explained how the thermal mass flow meters &
controllers work

Conclusions -conti
The similarity transforms may be utilized to
accurately derive the nonlinear, or polynomial
gas conversion factors for any process gases


Thank You