How To Maintain Low Water And Oxygen Content in The Internal Gas of The Glove Box?

In the fields of high-tech manufacturing and scientific research, glove boxes are widely used as key equipment in scenarios that require highly pure and low water oxygen content environments, such as semiconductor production, materials science research, drug synthesis, and lithium battery development. The glove box, through a series of precise designs and operating mechanisms, ensures that the working gas inside can maintain an extremely low water oxygen content, thereby protecting sensitive materials and devices from contamination and oxidation during experiments or production processes.

The sealing of the glove box is the basis for maintaining low water and oxygen content in the internal gas. The box, front window, glove compartment, and all interfaces are designed with high-quality sealing materials and structures to ensure that external air cannot penetrate. Specifically:

• Box material: Usually made of 304 stainless steel, it has good corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, which can effectively resist the erosion of the external environment. The inner and outer surfaces of the glove box have undergone special treatment to improve its sealing and durability.

• Front window sealing: The front window is sealed with an O-ring vacuum flange and tempered glass. Through precise installation and adjustment, the sealing surface is ensured to be leak free.

• Glove sealing: The glove opening is made of aluminum alloy material and designed with O-ring sealing. When operators operate through gloves, the sealing of the glove box can also be maintained.

• Interface sealing: All gas inlet and outlet, power interface, etc. adopt high standard sealing design, such as DN40KF specification main valve and electric angle valve, to ensure no leakage at the connection.

The gas circulation and purification system inside the glove box is the core to maintain low water and oxygen content. The system achieves closed circulation and purification of working gas through components such as pipelines, circulating fans, and purification columns.

• Gas circulation: Under the precise control of PLC, the working gas circulates between the glove box and the purification column. The integrated fan provides sufficient flow to ensure that the gas can be evenly distributed inside the glove box, achieving fast and effective circulation.

• Purification column purification: During the gas circulation process, the water and oxygen contained in the purification column are efficiently adsorbed. The purification column is filled with high-efficiency purification materials such as copper catalysts and molecular sieves, which have strong adsorption capacity for moisture and oxygen. As the cycle time progresses, the water and oxygen content in the working gas inside the glove box gradually decreases, eventually reaching the target of<1ppm.

• Regeneration mechanism: When the purification column is saturated with adsorption, regeneration treatment is required to restore its adsorption capacity. The regeneration process is automatically controlled by PLC. By introducing a mixture of working gas and hydrogen gas for regeneration, the water and oxygen adsorbed on the purification material are desorbed, achieving the reuse of the purification column.

To ensure that the water and oxygen content inside the glove box remains within the set range, the glove box is also equipped with advanced monitoring and alarm systems.

• Real time monitoring: The water and oxygen content of the gas inside the box is monitored in real time through sensors, and the data is transmitted to the PLC or touch screen display interface for operators to view at any time.

• Alarm function: When the gas water oxygen content exceeds the set threshold, the system will immediately trigger an alarm, prompting the operator to take corresponding measures, such as checking the sealing, replacing the purification column, or adjusting the flow rate of the circulating fan.

In addition to the above design and system, daily maintenance and upkeep are also important steps in maintaining low water and oxygen content in the gas inside the glove box.

• Regularly check the sealing: Regularly inspect the sealing of the box, front window, glove compartment, and interface to ensure that there is no leakage in the glove compartment.

• Replace purification materials: Regularly replace the purification materials inside the purification column according to the frequency of use and purification effect to ensure its adsorption efficiency.

• Cleaning and maintenance: Regularly clean the interior of the glove box to remove any impurities and pollutants that may be generated, and maintain the cleanliness of the glove box's internal environment.