Bake of the Ne Gas Handling System

This week, we completed a setup for a vacuum bake. Vacuum bakes are used to remove tiny impurities (specifically water) from a vacuum system. This is done by heating the vacuum components, which makes any water bound to the walls of the stainless steel detach at a faster rate. In this process we use heating tapes rated for conductive surfaces, foil to spread the heat evenly, and monitor the temperature for the course of the bake. Vacuum systems are baked to temperatures as high as 400 degrees Celsius, but due to sensitive components in our system we stay at temperatures far lower. Typically we get to around 150 degrees Celsius away from the sensitive electronics, and stay as low as 40 degrees Celsius near some of the components. -DF