An apparatus and method for microwave vacuum-drying of organic materials such as food products. The dehydration apparatus (10) has a vacuum chamber (12) with a loading module (14) at one end and a discharge module (22) at the other. The vacuum chamber has access doors (80) spaced between the input end (16) and the discharge end (24) which provide operator and maintenance access. Microwave generators (86) are mounted on each access door and arranged to radiate through a microwave chamber and microwave-transparent window on the access door into the vacuum chamber. The waveguides on a respective access door are oriented to minimize microwave interference between the magnetrons on that door. A conveyor (60) in the vacuum chamber moves the organic material (96) on trays (18) through the vacuum chamber.

A conveyance system includes a chamber 1, a plate 7A disposed in the chamber 1, the plate 7A being used for disposing an article thereon, an in-chamber bridge 19 disposed in the chamber 1 and capable of coming into contact with the plate 7A, a moving member 3A that moves along the in-chamber bridge 19 and the plate 7A to move the article on the in-chamber bridge 19 and the plate 7A, and a sterilization device 100 that sterilizes an interior of the chamber 1, in which the chamber 1 is allowed to be tightly sealed, with the moving member 3A disposed on the in-chamber bridge 19.

A method of using a vacuum chamber to assist in detecting and removing moisture from an instrument having a lumen, e.g., an endoscope is disclosed. Second derivatives of pressure with respect to time are calculated and differences therebetween summed. These summations may be compared to a threshold value to determine whether residual moisture remains on the instrument in the chamber. The vacuum chamber may include a rack for hanging instruments having lumens, such as endoscopes.

Method and apparatus for drying granular resin material by drawing vacuum over heating resin material in a vessel, while periodically purging the vessel with the material therein with dry air and bathing the vacuum dried material with dry air until furnished to a processing machine.

According to various embodiments, a vacuum arrangement may comprise the following: a first dehydration chamber and a second dehydration chamber, which are gas-separated from one another; a substrate transfer chamber for changing clocked substrate transport into continuous substrate transport towards the second dehydration chamber; a first high-vacuum pump of gas-transfer type for evacuating the first dehydration chamber; and a second high-vacuum pump of gas-binding type for evacuating the second dehydration chamber; wherein the first dehydration chamber is, with respect to the substrate transport, arranged between the second dehydration chamber and the substrate transfer chamber.

According to various embodiments, a vacuum arrangement may comprise the following: a first dehydration chamber and a second dehydration chamber, which are gas-separated from one another; a substrate transfer chamber for changing clocked substrate transport into continuous substrate transport towards the second dehydration chamber; a first high-vacuum pump of gas-transfer type for evacuating the first dehydration chamber; and a second high-vacuum pump of gas-binding type for evacuating the second dehydration chamber; wherein the first dehydration chamber is, with respect to the substrate transport, arranged between the second dehydration chamber and the substrate transfer chamber.

Methods and systems for the thermo-vacuum drying and processing of objects such as clothes. A vacuum ejector driven by high-pressure steam is employed to evacuate evaporated moisture mixed with air from a dryer vessel producing an intensification of the drying process such as can significantly reduce the energy and time requirements for the drying process and increase water utilization.

A drying apparatus includes a drying chamber configured to be connected to a decompression section, and a moving section configured to move a target object in the interior of the drying chamber. With this structure, the pressure in the interior of the drying chamber can be reduced and the target object can be dried in the interior of the drying chamber, and thereby the drying efficiency of the target object can be increased.

A method of using a vacuum chamber to assist in detecting moisture on an instrument, removing moisture from the instrument, and confirming dryness of the instrument is disclosed. The method may include the steps of opening a vacuum chamber; placing an instrument into the chamber, closing the chamber, withdrawing a first volume of air from the chamber; changing a volume of liquid water into vapor, introducing a second volume of air into the chamber, withdrawing the second volume of air from the chamber, changing a second volume of liquid water into vapor, introducing a third volume of air into the chamber, opening the chamber, and removing the instrument from the chamber in a dry state. This method may also include the steps of collecting pressure data corresponding to the pressure within the chamber while withdrawing the second volume of air from the chamber, calculating a first second-derivative value of pressure with respect to time corresponding to a pressure greater than approximately the triple-point pressure of water, calculating a second second-derivative value of pressure with respect to time corresponding to a pressure greater than approximately the triple-point pressure of water and a time subsequent to the time corresponding to the first second-derivative value, calculating a third second-derivative value of pressure with respect to time corresponding to a pressure less than approximately the triple-point pressure of water and a time subsequent to the time corresponding to the second second-derivative value, calculating a fourth second-derivative value of pressure with respect to time corresponding to a pressure less than approximately the triple-point pressure of water and a time subsequent to the time corresponding to the third second-derivative value, determining that the fourth second-derivative value is less than or equal to the third second-derivative value, determining that the second second-derivative value is less than or equal to the first second-derivative value. The vacuum chamber may include a rack for hanging instruments having lumens, such as endoscopes.

The present disclosure provides a degassing method, a degassing chamber, and a semiconductor processing apparatus. The degassing method includes heating a degassing chamber to provide an internal temperature at a preset temperature, and maintaining the internal temperature of the degassing chamber at the preset temperature; and transferring substrates to be degassed into the degassing chamber and heating the substrates for a preset period of time, and taking the substrates out after the preset period of time of the heating. The disclosed degassing method is able to improve the temperature uniformity not only for a same batch of substrates but also for different batches of substrates. In addition, the disclosed degassing method can also realize anytime instant loading/unloading of the substrates to be degassed, thereby increasing the productivity of the equipment.