Extra Coursework

[NL8]

Did anybody attend a college that teaches a course on Vacuum Systems or the theory and/or practice behind vacuum?

Joe Hasik, CSWP
SW 08 x64, SP 3.0
Dell T3400
Intel Core2 Quad
Q6700 2.66 GHz
3.93 GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4600

 

[zdas04]

Not me. Neither undergraduate nor graduate (fluids specialty). When I asked questions in that direction, none of my profs seemed to even know where to find the answers. Hell, I had to explain to one of them (in graduate school) that STP was a contractual term, not a fact of nature.

David

 

[MintJulep]

A perfect vacuum is nothing.

It's really really hard (if not impossible) to achieve a perfect vacuum because:

1. There will always be a leak - allowing the outside something into the space where there is supposed to be nothing.

Or

2. There is something in the space that is out-gasing something into the space that is supposed to have nothing.

Or often both 1 and 2 at the same time.

And

3. The faster you try to remove the something from the space that is supposed to have nothing, the faster 1 and 2 happen.

Regardless, attempting to remove the something from the space that is supposed to have nothing is still fluid mechanics.

I think that's all there is to it.

 

[zdas04]

What I'm finding in my business is that all of the empirical fluid flow arithmetic is considerably off from observed pressure drop, velocity, and ability to move liquids.

This is especially true in vertical flow. One client has a bunch of wells with 15-20 in Hg vacuum on the wellhead--traditional math predicts that flowing bottom hole pressure should be 75-100 psig while pressure bombs measure 3-5 psig flowing bottom hole pressure. The difference is the amount of water that evaporates--that number is treated as insignificant in Turner, Coleman, and Grey, but in these wells it is greater than liquid inflow and the flow up the wellbore is single phase.

David

 

[Gymmeh]

Zdas, they dont have any K factor to correct for the evaporation? I am amazed that is so different.

 

[Twoballcane]

If you need a course on vacuum I recommend this:

http://www.varianinc.com/cgi-bin/nav?products/vacuum/training/index&cid=KHPPQHJPFL

It is a great course.

Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."

 

[trainguy]

I've found that most Vacuum systems suck...

tg

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

I didn't have any coursework that dealt with vacuum tehcnology. I work in the field now and it really would have helped out the first few years if I had had a better background on vacuum basics.

For information on the technology used (a a little bit of theory) You could check out some of the courses offered by the Society of Vacuum Coaters:

http://www.svc.org/EP/Education.html

Specifically, Donald Mattox's guides are handy for an introduction to the technology:

http://www.svc.org/P/P_EducationalGuideIntro.html

 

[NL8]

Tobalcane: Thanks, this looks promising.

BrunoPuntzJones: You were in the same situation that I find myself in now. I've been in the industry about 2 years and while I've learned a lot there are gaps in my knowledge that make parts of my job really difficult.

Joe Hasik, CSWP
SW 08 x64, SP 3.0
Dell T3400
Intel Core2 Quad
Q6700 2.66 GHz
3.93 GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 4600