Patent ID: 9506478
Filing Date: 2016-11-29
CPC Classification: F04B,F04F,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A vacuum system for evacuating a chamber of a metallurgical processing system, the vacuum system comprising: the chamber; a vacuum pumping arrangement for evacuating gas from the chamber; a foreline connecting the vacuum pumping arrangement to the chamber, wherein the foreline is downstream of the chamber and upstream of the vacuum pumping arrangement; a filter volume located in the foreline for filtering gas evacuated from the chamber along the foreline; a by-pass line connecting the vacuum pumping arrangement to the chamber and arranged to by-pass the filter volume selectively dependent on monitored characteristics of the chamber or the vacuum system, wherein the by-pass line is downstream of the chamber and upstream of the vacuum pumping arrangement; and a control device comprising a programmable logic device or computer, wherein the control device comprises control lines connected to a plurality of valves configured to control operation of the vacuum system to: