Vacuum Chamber use in Solar Energy Research

Vacuum Chamber use in Solar Energy Research 01
Vacuum Chamber use in Solar Energy Research 01
This vacuum chamber was built to perform Solar energy research on Photovoltaic Cells. We had some constrains with regards to the outside dimensions of the chamber. As you can see, it could not be too tall because it had to fit into our clients assembly jig. We therefore removed our standard lid handles and machined the handles themselves right into the acrylic chamber lid. Concurrently, we also removed our 3-Port Plate that houses the vacuum valve, the venting valve, and the vacuum gauge and moved each of them to the side wall of vacuum chamber. Finally, a way to connect electrical signals and power to the interior of the vacuum chamber from the outside, while the Solar Cell is under vacuum, was to provide an electrical feedthrough. This electrical power feedthrough was placed on the opposite wall of the vent valve, vacuum valve, and vacuum gauge.

As you can tell, there is a square and large window made from Quartz Glass coupled to the lid. The reason Quartz was used is because acrylic has limiting optical transmission properties - it does not transmit light at all in the Ultra Violet spectrum. Most of the time, this is not critical; however, in some applications, such as photovoltaics and solar power research, the transmission properties of the vacuum chamber wall become vital. Keep in mind that Ultraviolet Transmitting Acrylic does exist, but in our situation, it was not cost effective, and it did not provide replacement options.

You can read more about Ultraviolet Transmitting Acrylic Here: Optical Transmission Properties of Acrylic

One of the advantages is also the option that our client has to remove the 6 inches by 6 inch Quartz Window and replace it with any other material with various optical transmission properties. All that needs to be done is loosen the bolts that are fastening the Window Holding Plate, made from 6061 Aluminum, remove it, remove the Glass, and replace this viewport with another Window made from a different material with different optical transmission properties such as Sapphire Glass, Borosilicate, Pyrex, etc.

Similar Items

We treat our customers well by Over-Delivering on our Promises (reason why we are Highly Rated on Google My Business). There is a tremendous amount of valuable resources and information regarding vacuum systems and vacuum technology; check them out by clicking on the links below.

Vacuum Oven Systems
Vacuum Ovens are vacuum chambers and ovens combined in one system. Vacuum ovens are necessary during processes which require the specimen to be subjected to a hypobaric and hyperthermal environment. Our Vacuum Oven Systems enable to you run a complete vacuum vs time and temperature vs time profile. We also carry portable vacuum oven systems and custom vacuum oven systems.
Wire Vacuum Feedthroughs
Wire Vacuum Feedthroughs are wires that are run from the outside of the chamber towards the inside of the vacuum chamber. We carry a wide variety of wires and wire gauges that can be used with any vacuum chamber.
Our Work: Pressure and Vacuum Chamber used for Calibration of Weather Stations across the US
Have you ever wondered how the weather forecast works? You must admit; the weathermen (or weatherwoman) have become a whole lot more accurate over time. 10 years ago, the weather forecast was not as accurate as it is today. Part of the reason is that we have better forecasting technology as in more powerful computers who crunch numbers faster to out a most likely scenario. Another reason is that mathematics, physics, and science has progressed. The main reason however, is that we have better tools and equipment.
Related Articles: High Altitude Package Testing utilizing an Acrylic Vac Chamber
An Acrylic Vacuum Chamber can be used to simulate elevation very reliably to altitudes up to 60.9 km or 200,000 feet. This provides several advantages over other testing methods as acrylic is transparent and enables full view of interior during testing. In this article, we will give you a through guide on what can be done to eliminate the risk of packaging damage during shipments at high altitudes.