i am using a sputtering system having one mass flow controller and two needle valves. now i want use argon gas by using Mass flow controller (MFC) for better accuracy. but it is already calibrated for oxygen gas. can i use the same MFC for argon gas?. if not, is there any way to use this MFC for Argon (By changing any parameters)
mass flow model -- EL-FLOW base from bronkhorst
thanks for Advance..
If this is a thermal-based mass flow controller, the typically a gas correction factor can be used. There are several tables of these available, and one can be found at the link below. To determine the mass flow of a gas other than the one that the controller is calibrated for, take the gas correction factor of the gas you are using and divide that by the factor of the gas that the controller was calibrated to use. Then multiply the set flow rate by the calculated ratio to get the actual flow rate of the gas.
For example, with the flow controller calibrated for oxygen and in order to use argon, the correction factor will be:
Gas correction factor (Ar)/Gas correction factor (O2) = 1.39/0.993 = 1.40
So, if you set the flow controller to 1 SLPM, you should actually have a flow rate of 1.40 SLPM argon (if the controller is calibrated for oxygen).
Again, this is for thermal-based mass flow controllers and is based on theoretical values, so there could be some deviation in the actual results.
Hope this helps,
Neal
http://www.mksinst.com/docs/ur/MFCGasCorrection.aspx
thank you Anthony Neal Watkins and Dirk Salz for the fast response as well as this helpful descriptive answer.
may i know one more thing that, if i will use the argon gas in the same MFC, Technically if it's make an trouble with the instrument.......?
I would think there would be no issue using argon in the MFC. Argon is an inert gas, and if oxygen is not causing any damage, then argon should no either. In fact, there is probably no reason you could not re calibrate the MFC to use argon instead of oxygen if you really needed to.
You may want to check my post at this analogous RG query:
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Is-it-possible-to-use-Nitrogen-MFC-of-200-bar-for-Hydrogen-flow-of-the-same-pressure-What-order-of-error-is-expected
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