Using a variable frequency drive (VFD) in order to drive the vacuum pump of a milking machine allows a dramatic reduction in energy use, while still producing equivalent vacuum stability. The VFD technology is able to adjust the rate of air removal from the milking system by changing the speed of the vacuum pump motor. A PID controller was developed in order to command the electric motor drivin...

In the present work, deoxidation and refining of 316LVM steel (Low carbon Vacuum Melted) during the vacuum induction melting process was studied. This grade of stainless steel is one of the most import...

Thermodynamics originated with the study of heat engines. A precursor to heat engines, the vacuum pump, was designed by the German scientist Otto von Guericke who, in 1650, created the world’s first ever vacuum in what are known as the Magdeburg hemispheres. He was driven to make a vacuum in order to disprove Aristotle’s long-held supposition that “Nature abhors a vacuum”. Shortly thereafter, I...

A vacuum system with pressure in the low ultra-high vacuum (UHV) range is essential for long photocathode lifetimes in DC high voltage GaAs photoguns. A discrepancy between predicted and measured base pressure in the CEBAF photoguns motivated this study of outgassing rates of three 304 stainless steel chambers with different pretreatments and pump speed measurements of non-evaporable getter (NE...