Abstract: An improved high-capacity getter pump, comprising a plurality of porous sintered piled-up annuli made from a non-evaporable getter material and having: i) a first planar surface having a central hole; ii) a second planar surface, having a broader central hole, parallel to said first surface and spaced therefrom by a distance "d" of 1-10.5 mm; iii) a third intermediate planar surface, interposed between said first and second surfaces, spaced from said first surface by a thickness "t" of 0.5-5.0 mm and having a hole coincident with the hole of said first surface; wherein the first surface of a subsequent annulus is in contact with the second surface of a preceding annulus and wherein the first surface of a subsequent annulus is spaced from the third surface of a preceding annulus by a gas conductance having a height "c" of 0.5-10 mm.

Abstract: The process of the present invention provides for the sorption of unwanted gas in a vessel by means of a non-evaporated barium getter. It comprises the steps of reducing an alloy of Ba.sub.1-x A.sub.x Li.sub.4-y B.sub.y to a particle size of less than 5 mm, under vacuum or an inert gas atmosphere and then placing the reduced alloy in the vessel. Upon exposing the reduced alloy to the residual gas in the vessel at a temperature of less than 150.degree. C., the gas is sorbed. The metal A is a metal chosen from the group consisting of elements of Group IIa of the periodic table of elements, excluding barium. The metal B is chosen from the group consisting of elements of Group IIIa of the periodic table of elements. Preferably 0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.0.5 and 0.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.3.5.

Abstract: A gas purifier for impure gas having an end of life detector. The purifier has:A. a housing; andB. an impurity-sorbing material packed within the housing. The impurity-sorbing material has the property of reacting with impurities in the impure gas. This reacting causes expansion of the impurity-sorbing material; andC. an impure gas inlet; andD. a pure gas outlet; andE. a pressure responsive electrical switch within the housing. The position of the switch is responsive to expansion of the impurity-sorbing material; andF. An indicator outside the housing to indicate the position of the switch.

Abstract: A calibrating apparatus for isothermally introducing, into a stream of dry gas, amounts of moisture lower than 1000 ppb, said apparatus comprising:A. a moist gas generating unit, comprising in its turn:i) a cylindrical shell;ii) a permeation module, inside said cylindrical shell, containing water and comprising a peripheral membrane;iii) a thermal conditioner, arranged too inside said cylindrical shell, upstream of said permeation module;B. an isothermal heat sink, thermally connected to the outside surface of said cylindrical shell, wherein said moist gas generating unit, under item A), is lodged in a recess of said heat sink;C) a heat radiator;D) a Peltier heater-cooler, thermally arranged between said isothermal heat sink (under item B) and said heat radiator (under item C).

Abstract: A method is described for the electrophoretic deposition, in the form of a porous coating, of at least one getter material and simultaneously an antisintering agent on any form of support.The getter material may be a powder of a metal, of a metal alloy or of a hydride thereof, or a mixture of these components. The getter material powders have a particle size less than 100 .mu. and an average particle size less than 60 .mu. but preferably greater than about 20 .mu.. The antisintering agent has a particle size of the same order of magnitude. After a heat treatment under vacuum the getter devices produced have an open porous structure and have good gas sorption properties. The support for the getter material can be graphite or a metal or a metal coated with ceramic.

Abstract: A brushless electric motor is described whose rotor consists of a rotatable shaft and at least one metal permanent magnet, preferably porous, bond to the shaft by a thin layer of bonding metal. In this way an improved rotor is obtained which does not require other retaining means or glues. The magnets are thus permanently and safely fixed to the rotor with an increased magnetic surface. A process for producing this type of rotor is also described.

Abstract: A protective vessel is provided for a getter material which comprises a first sheet of thermally stable material attached to an adhesive, which in turn is attached to a second sheet of thermo-retractable organic plastic material, the first and second sheets enclosing the getter material.

Abstract: There is described a process for the recovery of deuterium and tritium from their oxides, such has heavy water and tritiated water, comprising the steps of reacting the oxides of deuterium and tritium with an intermetallic compound having a formula ZrM.sub.2, where M is a transition metal chosen from the group comprising Cr, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni such that it sorbs oxygen and released deuterium and tritium. The reaction preferably occurs by contacting the impure gas with the ZrM.sub.2 alloy as defined above, in the form of a compressed powder. A preferred alloy is the intermetallic ternary compound ZrMnFe.

Abstract: A method, based on the measurement of electrical resistance, and an apparatus for performing the measurement, which indicates the moment in which a gas purifier is about to loose its purification efficiency. The gas purifier can therefore be substituted before the impurity levels in the purified gas output reach undesirably high values.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process, and an apparatus for accomplishing that process, for indicating when an inert gas purifier is about to loose its required level of purification efficiency. The inert gas purifier can therefore be replaced before the impurity levels of its purified output gas reach undesirably high values.

Abstract: A gas purifier for impure gas is provided with a sensor of the end of useful life. The purifier has a housing completely filled with a gas sorbing material. The gas sorbing material is capable of reacting with the impurities contained within the impure gas. This reaction results in an expansion of the gas sorbing material which thereby causes the housing to expand.The purifier also has an impure gas inlet and a purified gas outlet as well as a strain gauge carried by the housing and means for determining the strain on the strain gauge thus determining the end of useful life of the gas sorbing material.

Abstract: A method is described for the automatic determination of the time when barium starts to evaporate, or "start time", of barium evaporable getters. A temperature difference measurement is made of the temperature of the glass wall outside the getter location by means of a sensor preferably comprising an infrared pyrometer calibrated on a wave length of about 10 .mu.m suitable for measuring temperatures of 0.degree.-500.degree. C. Under these conditions the temperature curve measured, through an integral function, follows the behavior of the temperature of the getter which reveals a typical behavior at the moment in which barium starts to evaporate. Once .DELTA.T has been calculated from the analysis of a series of experimental test results on the integral curve, that value corresponds to the start time. The measurement of temperature is transformed into a suitably amplified voltage this giving a value of V corresponding to the start time. This can then be used to automatically regulate the R.F.

Abstract: An evaporable getter device, for mounting in an electron tube, comprises a holder whose bottom wall is provided with means for preventing detachment of getter metal vapor releasing material which has been pressed into the holder and which has a multiplicity of means which retard the transmission of heat in a circumferential direction through the getter metal vapor releasing material. When the getter device is heated by currents induced from a radio-frequency field generated by a coil positioned outside the electron tube large amounts of getter metal are released in a short time without detachment of material from the holder. The heat retarding means are preferably four equally spaced radial grooved formed in the upper surface of the getter metal vapor releasing material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a high purity gas delivery control assembly (100) having straight through gas flow. The bellows (118) which operates a gas flow interruption means (114) is isolated during gas flow and dead volumes are reduced to a minimum. This prevents the introduction of unwanted particles into the gas stream.

Abstract: An evaporable getter device for mounting in an electron tube is provided which comprises a pan-shaped container having a vertical side wall formed around the perimeter of a disc shaped bottom wall and a pulverized getter metal vapor releasing material pressed into the space formed by said side wall and said bottom wall.There is also provided a first heat transfer retarding means which delays the transfer of heat in a circumferential direction through the getter metal vapor releasing material. There is also provided a second heat transfer retarding means which delays the transfer of heat in a radial direction through the getter vapor releasing material. When the getter device is heated by currents induced from a radio frequency field created by a coil positioned outside the tube, opposite the getter device, high yields of getter metal are released in a short time without detachment of the getter material residues from the container.

Abstract: A window for a domestic oven having a reduced thermal transmission so that the external glass surface, which can be touched, is maintained at an acceptable temperature. Between the walls of the window there is an evacuated space. Preferably at least the internal surface of the outer wall is coated with a transparent layer of reflecting material. A non-evaporable getter material is contained within the evacuated space.

Abstract: A cathode ray tube with an electrophoretic getter device incorporated therein is described. The electrophoretic deposition, in the form of a porous coating, of at least one getter material and simultaneously an antisintering agent on any form of getter support is also described. The getter material may be a powder of a metal, of a metal alloy or of a hydride thereof, or a mixture of these components.

Abstract: A method is described for the manufacture of a vacuum insulating structure intended mainly, but not exclusively, for use in such domestic appliances as refrigerators or freezers as well as for vehicle walls including aeroplanes and in buildings. A hollow plastic or metal panel is purged to atmospheric air by means of a getterable gas. Vacuum is produced by removing the purge gas and the vacuum is subsequently maintained by contacting the residual gas with a getter material. A vacuum insulating structure thus manufactured is also described.

Abstract: A window for a domestic oven is described which has a reduced thermal transmission so that the outer glass surface, which can be toughed, is maintained at an acceptable temperature. Between the surface of an outer glass sheet and an inner glass sheet of the window there is a rare gas filled enclosed volume. Preferably at least the inner facing surface of the outer glass sheet is coated with a transparent layer of reflecting material. A non-evaporable getter material is contained within said enclosed volume.

Abstract: A method is described for the quantitative measurement of traces of gas, particularly CO.sub.2 and CH.sub.4 which constitute impurities in impure inert gases such as rare gases and nitrogen, by means of the use of a known analyzer for reducing gases which uses a bed of mecuric oxide and makes the measurement by an optical method of the mercury vapors produced which are proportional in to the concentration of the impurities to be detected. The method of the present invention subjects the impure inert gas to an electric discharge which may be at a high voltage, capable of ionizing the impurities before the impure inert gas is made to pass through the bed of mecuric oxide. The device according to the invention comprises, between a gas-chromatographic separation column and the analyzer, an electrode within a passage through which flows the gas to be analyzed and in which there is an ionizing discharge.