By Phil Danielson
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By Phil Danielson
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High-Vacuum Technology, A Practical Guide Second Edition, Revised And Expanded This book, the second edition of an already successful overall vacuum technology book, pointsup the difficulty in writing a complete and up-to-date book within a changing technology. During the time between the first edition (1990) and the second (1997), a lot happened within the confines of available technology and the needs of vacuum application processes. Hence, some of the contents of the two editions stand in stark contrast. For example, the subject of oil-free roughing pumps has been greatly expanded in terms of coverage in general and in types of pumps discussed, since their existence was still a fairly new subject at the time of the first edition, and a great deal of development occurred during the years between editions. The subject of pumps is a dominant force in this book. This is no surprise, since the author’s experience is heavily in vacuum pump development, and most authors will naturally share their hard-won knowledge this way. In fact, the author is often known as “Mr. Diffusion Pump.” The coverage of diffusion pumps is superb and will be of major impact in the future. The diffusion pump may be down at present, but it is far from out. Additionally, there is a complete chapter on the overloading of pumps. This subject, although of major import, is usually completely ignored in books on vacuum technology. Coverage of many of the other aspects of vacuum technology hardware is of lesser detail than that of pumps, but it is adequate for the reader who requires less complete detail than is offered for pumps. What needs covering, and in what detail, is always a problem for an author. This book is by a single author as opposed to the multiple author approach, and each has its own problems. This book deals with the problem of not making each subject totally equal by reflecting the knowledge of a single writer. The advantage here is that a single style obtains throughout the book, and this allows a readable flow of ideas and organization that succeeds very well. This is borne out by the obligatory section on understanding gas flow and behavior, where the author walks a thin line between just mathematical derivation of formulas and a simple prose explanation. The neophyte can read this section on one level and learn something useful, and the more experienced can read it on another and gain the same relative degree of increased knowledge. This is a difficult line to walk, but it works here. Organizationally, the idea of making the transition from gas flow to pumps and other hardware is carried by the trick of writing about systems in such a way that the usual segue between the two is painless. The second edition is a useful addition to the list of vacuum books that should be in a personal library in light of the new information included. One cannot help but wonder, though. Considering the changes still occurring in the technology, will a third edition follow? |
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