Trillium Cryopump Contact Information

John MacDonald - Senior Engineering Technician

• Company: Trillium US, Inc.

• Office Phone: 512-441-6893 x 102

• Direct: 512-590-7602

• Cell: 512-506-1068

• Email: john.macdonald@trilliumus.com

Nominal Maintenance Schedule

Regeneration

• When Needed:

  • When the temperature monitor exceeds 20 K.

  • When the cryo becomes "burpy" and persistently trips the temperature monitor interlock.

Replacing Seals and O-Rings

• When Needed:

  • Whenever the cold head needs to be removed.

  • When the temperature monitor exceeds 20 K and a regeneration is insufficient.

Full Cold Head Rebuild

• When Needed:

  • Approximately every three seal and o-ring replacements.

  • If the inside of the crankcase is visibly coated in soot.

Changing the Adsorber

• Frequency:

  • Approximately every 1 year for CTI-SC compressors.

  • Every 3 years for CTI-9600 compressors (p-trap), or if the cryo sounds ratchety.

Cryopump Regeneration Process

Preparation and Warming

1. Set up a free scroll pump and Pirani gauge at the pumping port of the gate valve (for Bravo) or on the roughing manifold (for Echo). Turn it on.

2. Close the gate valve in front of the pump.

3. Turn off the displacer.

4. Remove the helium lines.

5. Monitor the temperature as the cryopump warms.

6. As the temperature reaches 77 K (the boiling point of nitrogen), open the all-metal valve at the pumping port.

Regeneration Cycle

1. Let the scroll pump run overnight while the temperature continues to rise to room temperature.

2. Close the all-metal valve and turn off the scroll pump.

3. Repressurize the helium side according to the guidelines.

Cooling Down

1. Turn on the cryopump displacer and allow the pump to cool down.

2. Monitor the ultimate temperature; successful regeneration should result in a temperature below 20 K.

3. Update the maintenance log on the wiki cryopump status page.

Drive Unit and Displacer Maintenance

Replacement Part Costs

Standard Complete Repair Kit (Helium Side)

Seal and O-Ring Repair Kits

Cryopump Recharge: Post-Maintenance Helium Charging

Preparation Steps

1. Manifold Setup:

   • Remove the maintenance manifold from the supply line (compressor) and attach it to the cryo's supply.

   • Remove Swagelok cap over the inlet and outlet of the cryo maintenance manifold. Ensure both the inlet and outlet valves are closed. There are two identical sides to the manifold; consistency in designation of inlet and outlet throughout the procedure is crucial.

2. Helium Line Connection:

   • Loosely attach a line from an Ultra-High Purity (99.999%) Helium bottle to the maintenance manifold's inlet. "Loosely" means allowing a slight helium leak around the threads when the helium tank is open.

3. Valve Operations:

   • Open the outermost valve on the UHP Helium bottle, followed by the regulator, and then the bottle's main valve. This sequence prevents back-flow and contamination.

   • You will hear a hissing sound indicating that helium is purging the line. Let this continue for approximately 15-30 seconds before tightening the Swagelok fitting on the inlet. Ensure the valves for both inlet and outlet remain closed.

   • With valves still closed, remove the Swagelok cap on the outlet.

Recharging Steps

1. Increase Helium Pressure:

   • Increase helium supply pressure to 250 psi (note: the regulator might read ~350 psi due to calibration issues). Wait until the maintenance manifold gauge reads 250 psi, then close the inlet valve.

2. Reduce Pressure:

   • Reduce the pressure in the cold head to ~50 psi using the outlet valve. Do not reduce the pressure below 30 PSIG to avoid contamination risks.

3. Pressurization:

   • Pressurize the cold head with UHP Helium to 250 psi using the inlet valve, then close it upon reaching the desired pressure. Repeat this process four more times for thorough flushing.

4. Motor Activation:

   • Run the cold head drive motor for 10-30 seconds to facilitate the process. Repeat the pressurization and motor activation steps four more times, totaling 25 flushes and 5 motor runs.

5. Connection of Return Line:

   • Attach the helium return line (from the compressor). Ensure that the flat rubber gaskets are correctly placed before reconnecting the self-sealing couplings.

6. Final Attachments:

   • Attach the helium supply line (from the compressor).

Completion Steps

1. Final Motor Run:

   • Run the drive motor for 30 seconds to verify that the cold head is still charged to 250 psi.

2. Close System:

   • Close the outermost valve on the UHP Helium bottle's regulator, close the regulator, and finally close the bottle's main valve to prevent contamination.

   • Remove the line from the UHP Helium bottle, and cap the inlet and outlet ports on the maintenance manifold with blanks.

   • Plug in the drive motor, and close the all-metal valve to the roughing manifold.