| 摘要 |
A highly efficient in-line fluid heater is suitable for heating ultra-pure fluids. Preferably, the heater can be used for heating various fluids, including water, as part of a "wet bench" system used in a wafer processing fabrication facility for the semi-conductor industry. Many other uses for this in-line heater can be envisioned; e.g., water industry, gas processing, and any other use requiring an ultra-clean, highly efficient, non-contact method of raising the temperature of various liquids and gases. The preferred in-line heater utilizes one or more elongated lamps that generate IR radiation as the heating elements. A vessel is provided through which the fluid to be heated is passed. Typically, the vessel is a tube. The tube is preferably a straight single diameter tube, but can be formed in any convenient shape. For ultra-pure fluids, the vessel is formed of an inert or non-reactive material such as quartz. Preferably, the vessel is transparent to the IR radiation generated by the lamps. A chamber surrounds the lamps and the vessel. The interior surface of the chamber is made of a highly efficient reflecting material, preferably gold. The chamber is configured to have an integrally formed elongated parabolic reflector, one for each lamp to reflect radiation from the lamp toward the vessel. Each lamp is located at the focal point of its respective parabolic reflector. For systems having more than one lamp, the lamps are proportionally located around the inside periphery of the chamber. Preferably, the parabolic reflectors are sufficiently deep that radiation from one lamp cannot impinge directly onto any other lamp, thereby avoiding heating the lamps.
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