US 12,129,841 B2
Vacuum pumping
Gerald Robin Shelley, Eastbourne (GB); Peter George Stammers, Eastbourne (GB); and Brian Stuart Blakeley Roberts, Eastbourne (GB)
Assigned to Edwards Limited, West (GB)
Appl. No. 17/428,918
Filed by Edwards Limited, Burgess Hill (GB)
PCT Filed Feb. 20, 2020, PCT No. PCT/GB2020/050403
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 5, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/169976, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 27, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1902303 (GB), filed on Feb. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0090592 A1, Mar. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. F04B 37/14 (2006.01); F04B 41/06 (2006.01); F04B 49/00 (2006.01); F04B 49/02 (2006.01); F04B 49/06 (2006.01); F04B 49/20 (2006.01); F04B 49/22 (2006.01); F04C 25/02 (2006.01); F04C 28/02 (2006.01); F04C 28/08 (2006.01); F04C 28/28 (2006.01); F04D 15/00 (2006.01); F04D 17/16 (2006.01); F04D 19/04 (2006.01); F04D 27/00 (2006.01); F04D 27/02 (2006.01)
CPC F04B 37/14 (2013.01) [F04B 41/06 (2013.01); F04B 49/007 (2013.01); F04B 49/02 (2013.01); F04B 49/06 (2013.01); F04B 49/20 (2013.01); F04B 49/22 (2013.01); F04C 25/02 (2013.01); F04C 28/02 (2013.01); F04C 28/08 (2013.01); F04C 28/28 (2013.01); F04D 15/0027 (2013.01); F04D 17/168 (2013.01); F04D 19/04 (2013.01); F04D 27/004 (2013.01); F04D 27/0261 (2013.01); F04B 2205/09 (2013.01); F04C 2220/30 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vacuum pumping apparatus comprising:
a common pumping line having a plurality of pumping line inlets and a pumping line outlet, each pumping line inlet being configured to be coupled with an outlet of an associated vacuum processing chamber of a plurality of vacuum processing chambers;
at least one primary vacuum pump in a fluid communication with the pumping line outlet to pump a process gas from each vacuum processing chamber; and
a control logic operable to control an operation of the at least one primary vacuum pump and a downstream abatement apparatus in response to an indication of an operating state of the plurality of vacuum processing chambers, wherein the control logic is operable to vary an amount of diluent gas supplied to the at least one primary vacuum pump based on the indication of the operating state of the plurality of vacuum processing chambers.