KR102851065B1 - Chemical Supply Unit and Central Chemical Supply System Including the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a chemical supply unit and a central chemical supply system including the same, and according to one embodiment, the chemical supply unit is a chemical supply unit having a rectangular parallelepiped booth shape, which supplies chemicals supplied from the outside to a required location, wherein the interior of the booth is divided into a plurality of areas, and the plurality of areas include a piping area in which piping for receiving chemicals supplied from the outside and discharging the chemicals to the required location is arranged, and at least a portion of the piping arranged in the piping area is fixed to a shelf installed horizontally inside the piping area, and the shelf is installed so as to be withdrawable to the front or rear of the booth, so that when the shelf is withdrawn, the piping fixed to the shelf is also withdrawn. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a chemical supply unit having a reduced volume while having the same chemical processing/supply capacity and management convenience as those of a conventional unit.

Description

Chemical Supply Unit and Central Chemical Supply System Including the Same

The present invention relates to a chemical supply unit and a central chemical supply system including the same.

In semiconductor factories or chemical plants that use a variety of large quantities of chemicals, a central chemical supply system (hereinafter simply referred to as CCSS) is installed to supply the desired chemicals to the process lines that require them and to recover waste liquids. In addition to general piping facilities such as pipes, valves, fittings, filters, and pumps, this CCSS includes various facilities such as storage tanks, mixers that dilute chemicals to the desired concentration or mix them with other chemicals, ACQC (Auto Clean Quick Coupler) units, which are hose connection systems for transferring chemicals transported by tank lorry to storage tanks, drum couplers for transferring chemicals stored in drums to storage tanks, and sampling equipment for collecting and inspecting the supplied chemicals.

Here, the term chemical mainly refers to liquid substances including various acids, alkaline solutions, ultrapure water, etc., but also includes slurry or paste substances in which solid particles are dispersed in a liquid, and gaseous substances such as nitrogen, oxygen, and air, and is a concept that includes fluids that can flow through pipes.

Meanwhile, CCSS installed in large-scale factories are often unitized or modularized according to chemical type or process line. This unitization of CCSS allows for flexible and rapid response to process line expansions or changes.

In general, a unitized CCSS unit is configured in the form of a booth. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 1, which is a schematic floor plan, a typical CCSS unit (1) is configured as a rectangular booth (10) when viewed from above, and the interior of the booth is divided into several areas (20) by partition walls (11). An opening/closing door (not illustrated) may be provided at the boundary between the inside and the outside of the booth (10) for each area (20). In addition, a storage tank (not illustrated) for storing chemicals supplied by an ACQC unit or a drum coupler, or a supply tank (not illustrated) for supplying chemicals that have undergone a predetermined process by the CCSS unit to a process line may be installed outside the booth (10).

The number and size of areas (20) inside the booth (10) and further the elements arranged in each area may vary depending on the type of chemical or the conditions required by the process line, but the area (20) may typically include a piping area (21), a filter area (22), a pneumatic area (23), an electrical area (24), etc.

The piping area (21) is a core area of the CCSS unit (1) and is allocated a wider and larger area compared to other areas, and is typically located in the center of the booth (10). In the piping area (21), piping (30) for exchanging chemicals inside and outside the booth (10) can be arranged in a complex manner.

The filter area (22) is an area where filters (F) are placed to filter out impurities or particles larger than a specified size contained in the chemical supplied via the pipe area (21), and the pneumatic area (23) is an area where facilities are placed to receive high-pressure inert gas (e.g., nitrogen), air, clean dry air, etc. from the outside and supply/block the gas to/from the necessary equipment. In addition, the electrical area (24) is an area where facilities are placed to supply/block power to/from elements driven by electricity within the booth (10).

Meanwhile, various pipes (30) and the like arranged in the pipe area (21) are generally arranged in a vertical wall-mounted form that is fixed vertically on the inner surface of the bulkhead (11) or the outer wall. In addition, the pipe equipment arranged in the pipe area (21) requires maintenance and other management by workers periodically or regularly. Accordingly, as illustrated in Fig. 1, in order to secure a working space for workers, the pipes (30) and the like are generally arranged in an '11' shape parallel to both sides of the pipe area (21) when viewed from above, or in a 'ㄷ' shape including both sides and the rear side.

As such, the conventional CCSS unit (1) has limitations in miniaturization because the worker's work space is essential in the core area, the piping area (21).

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and aims to provide a chemical supply unit that has a reduced volume while maintaining the same chemical processing/supply capacity and ease of management by workers as compared to conventional units.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a chemical supply unit is formed in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped booth, and is a chemical supply unit that supplies chemicals supplied from the outside to a required location, wherein the interior of the booth is divided into a plurality of areas, and the plurality of areas include a piping area in which piping for receiving chemicals supplied from the outside and discharging the chemicals to the required location is arranged, and at least a portion of the piping arranged in the piping area is fixed to a shelf installed horizontally inside the piping area, and the shelf is installed so as to be withdrawable to the front or rear of the booth, and is configured such that when the shelf is withdrawn, the piping fixed to the shelf is also withdrawn.

Here, a plurality of shelves can be installed in parallel to each other in the vertical direction.

According to an embodiment, the pipe area may have a guide rail that slidably supports both ends of the shelf, and a stopper may be provided on the guide rail to prevent the rear end of the shelf from coming off the guide rail when the shelf is pulled out.

In this case, the shelf may be configured to be rotatable around the rear end of the shelf as a central axis when the shelf is pulled out and the rear end of the shelf is caught by the stopper.

In addition, the pipe may include a portion fixed to the shelf and a portion fixed to the pipe area other than the shelf, and the portion fixed to the shelf and the portion fixed to the pipe area may be configured to be connectable/detachable from each other.

Additionally, the shelf may have vertically penetrating holes formed therein.

Meanwhile, the plurality of regions may further include at least one region among a filter region in which a filter is disposed to filter out impurities or particles larger than a specified size contained in chemicals supplied through the pipe region; a pneumatic region in which equipment for supplying an inert gas or air used for supplying the chemicals or drying the pipe region is disposed; and an electric region in which equipment for supplying power to equipment driven by electricity is disposed in the plurality of regions.

In addition, a central chemical supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention is formed by installing a plurality of chemical supply units of any one of the above-described units adjacent to each other.

According to the present invention, by arranging pipes arranged in a pipe area on a shelf and configuring the shelf to be retractable, a chemical supply unit can be provided that has a reduced volume while maintaining the same chemical processing/supply capacity and convenience of management by a worker as compared to a conventional unit.

The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and together with the detailed description of the invention described below, serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention, and therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to matters described in such drawings.
Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a typical CCSS unit.
FIG. 2 is a front perspective view schematically illustrating a CCSS unit according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of the CCSS unit illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing pipes arranged in the pipe area of the CCSS unit illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a perspective view showing pipes and filters arranged in the filter area of the CCSS unit illustrated in Figure 3.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which one shelf is withdrawn from the CCSS unit illustrated in Fig. 2.
Figure 7 is a plan view for comparing and explaining the effects of a conventional CCSS unit and a CCSS unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as limited to their conventional or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that conform to the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term to best explain his or her own invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, and various equivalents and modified examples may exist as of the time of this application.

In the drawings, the sizes of each component or specific parts of that component are exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated for convenience and clarity of explanation. Therefore, the size of each component does not entirely reflect its actual size. If a detailed description of a related known function or configuration is deemed to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, such description will be omitted.

The terms 'joint', 'mounting', 'fixing' or 'connection' as used herein include not only cases where one member and another member are directly joined, mounted, fixed or connected, but also cases where one member is indirectly joined, mounted, fixed or connected to another member through an intermediate member.

Additionally, this specification uses terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front, and back, but these directions may vary depending on the direction in which the object is placed and the direction of observation. However, for convenience, in the following description, the front (front) is described as viewed from the direction of arrow A in Figure 2.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view schematically illustrating a CCSS unit according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view. In addition, FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating pipes arranged in a pipe area of the CCSS unit illustrated in FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating pipes and a filter arranged in a filter area of the CCSS unit illustrated in FIG. 3. In addition, FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which one shelf is withdrawn from the CCSS unit illustrated in FIG. 2. Meanwhile, in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6, the outer wall, ceiling, and opening/closing door of the CCSS unit are omitted for convenience of understanding.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the chemical supply unit (CCSS unit) (100) according to the present embodiment is configured in the form of a rectangular prism booth (110) and is configured to supply chemicals supplied from the outside to a place (user) that requires them. In this way, the CCSS unit (100) may only serve to relay (transmit) chemicals supplied from the outside to a place of use, or may supply chemicals supplied from the outside to a place of use after performing a predetermined process, such as filtering or mixing.

The interior of the booth (110) is divided into several areas (120), where piping or equipment necessary for the above-described processing and supply are placed. At this time, the areas (120) may be physically isolated by partition walls (112) or may be spatially (conceptually) divided without partition walls.

At the boundary between the inside and outside of the booth (110), an opening/closing door (not shown) may be provided for each area (120). In addition, a storage tank (not shown) for storing chemicals supplied by an ACQC unit or a drum coupler, or a supply tank (not shown) for supplying chemicals that have undergone a certain process by a CCSS unit to a process line may be installed outside the booth (110). In addition, an exhaust damper (150) may be installed on the ceiling of the booth (110) for exhausting chemical fumes, etc. that may exist inside the booth.

The number and size of the areas (120) inside the booth (110), and further the elements arranged in each area, vary depending on the type of chemical or the conditions required by the process line (application), but the area (120) includes a piping area (121) and may further include at least one area among a filter area (122), a pneumatic area (123), and an electrical area (124).

The piping area (121) is a core area of the CCSS unit (100) and is allocated in a wider and larger size than other areas, and can be allocated to a portion of the booth (110) (in this embodiment, an area more than the right half when viewed from the front and the upper right side at the rear). Pipes (30) are arranged in the piping area (121) to receive chemicals supplied from a storage tank or the outside and to discharge the chemicals to the intended use.

Specifically, the pipes arranged in the pipe area (121) include, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a tank inlet pipe (30a) that receives chemicals supplied from a storage tank or the outside and delivers them to a supply tank (not shown) that is relatively small compared to the storage tank, and a tank outlet pipe (30b) that receives chemicals from the supply tank to send the chemicals to the place of use. In addition, the pipes arranged in the pipe area (121) may include supply pipes (30c, 30d) that receive chemicals from the supply tank through the tank outlet pipe (30b) and process them (in this embodiment, filtering process by a filter (F) arranged in the filter area (122) described later) and supply them to the place of use.

These pipes (30) are equipped with valves (35) that open and close each path, or regulators, flow controllers, check valves, etc. as needed, so that the chemical flow of each path can be independently controlled. In particular, it is preferable that the valves (35) be valves that can electrically control opening and closing, such as solenoid valves. In addition, one end of each pipe (30) extends upward, and its upper end (31) is exposed by penetrating the ceiling of the booth (110) so that it can be connected to a storage tank, a supply tank, or a place of use installed outside the booth. In addition, a connecting means such as a fitting (32), a connector, or a connecting clamp is provided in the middle of the pipes extending upward, so that the pipes extending upward can be configured to be connected/separated from each other with the connecting means as the boundary. This is to enable the pipes (30) arranged in the pipe area (121) to be drawn out to the front or rear of the booth (110). The specific configuration and operation for drawing out the pipes (30) will be described later.

The filter area (122) is an area where one or more filters (F) are arranged to filter out impurities or particles larger than a specified size contained in chemicals supplied from the outside of the booth (110) or a storage tank through the pipe area (121), and can be allocated to one side of the booth (110) (the lower right side at the rear in this embodiment) adjacent to the pipe area (121).

Specifically, in the filter area (122), as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, a filter inlet pipe (40a) for introducing filters (F) and chemicals before filtering into the filter, and a filter outlet pipe (40b) for discharging chemicals filtered by the filter (F) are arranged. The inlet end (41a) of the filter inlet pipe (40a) is connected to the discharge end (33b; see FIG. 4) of the tank outlet pipe (30b) by passing through a shelf (130b; see FIG. 3) on which the aforementioned tank outlet pipe (30b) is fixed. In addition, the discharge end (41b) of the filter outlet pipe (40b) is connected to the inlet end (33c; see FIG. 4) of the aforementioned supply pipe (30c; 30d) by passing through a partition wall (112; see FIG. 3) dividing the pipe area (121) and the filter area (122). Meanwhile, in this embodiment, two supply pipes (30c, 30d) are provided, and the outlet end (41b) of the filter outlet pipe (40b) can be branched into two so as to be connected to the inlet end (33c, 33d) of each of the two supply pipes (30c, 30d).

The pneumatic area (123) is an area where elements such as a compressor, valve, and pipe (30e) for receiving a high-pressure inert gas (e.g., nitrogen), air, or clean dry air from the outside and supplying/blocking it to/from necessary equipment are arranged, and may be allocated adjacent to the pipe area (121) (in this embodiment, on the front left side of the booth (110). The high-pressure inert gas or air is used to transport chemicals by pushing out chemicals stored in a tank by gas pressure, and the clean dry air can be used to wash the inside of the pipe, etc. with ultrapure water and then dry it.

The electrical area (124) is an area where a distribution board for supplying/cutting power to/from elements driven by electricity within the booth (110), such as a compressor, an electronic valve, a sensor, and various switches, and a circuit board including a control unit for controlling the overall operation of the CCSS unit (100) are placed, and may be allocated to one side of the booth (110) (in this embodiment, the rear of the pneumatic area (123)). Wiring between the electrical area (124) and elements using electricity placed in other areas (120) may be connected through a partition wall (112).

In addition, depending on the special specifications or requirements of the CCSS unit (100) or the chemical, elements other than the aforementioned elements may be arranged, and if necessary, additional areas other than the aforementioned areas (121 to 124) may be allocated. For example, if the chemical handled by the CCSS unit (100) is a slurry, a particle counter (not shown) or electronic valves for managing particles larger than a specified size contained in the slurry may be arranged in these additional areas. Of course, these additional areas are optional and may be omitted if unnecessary.

Meanwhile, referring back to FIG. 2, at least a portion of the pipe (30) arranged in the pipe area (121) is fixedly arranged on a shelf (130) installed horizontally within the pipe area (121). This shelf (130) is installed so as to be withdrawable to the front or rear of the booth (110), so that when the shelf (130) is withdrawn, the pipe (30) fixed to the shelf (130) is also withdrawn. Here, a plurality of shelves (130) may be installed in parallel with each other in the vertical direction, and the plurality of shelves (130) may be withdrawn independently of each other.

In order to allow the shelf (130) to be pulled out to the front or rear of the booth (110), the pipe area (121) may be provided with guide rails (140) that slidably support both ends of the shelf (130). Meanwhile, as described above, the upper end (31) extending upwardly of each pipe (30) is fixed to the ceiling of the booth (110). That is, each pipe (30) includes a portion fixed to the shelf (130) and a portion fixed to a pipe area other than the shelf (the ceiling in this embodiment). Therefore, in order to pull out the shelf (130), first, the fitting (32) (connecting means) provided in the middle of the upwardly extending pipe is released, thereby separating the pipe (30) into a portion fixed to the shelf (130) and a portion fixed to the ceiling, and then the shelf (130) is pulled out forward (see FIG. 6).

In addition, a stopper (141) may be provided on the guide rail (140), so that when the shelf (130) is pulled out, the rear end (131) of the shelf can be caught on the stopper (141) and prevented from coming off the guide rail (140).

Furthermore, the shelf (130) may be configured to be rotatable around the rear end (131) of the shelf as a central axis when the shelf is pulled out and the rear end (131) of the shelf is caught by the stopper (141). To this end, as illustrated in FIG. 6, cutouts (132) may be formed on both sides of the portion immediately preceding the rear end (131) that serves as the rotational center axis of the shelf (130) so that the shelf (130) does not interfere with the guide rail (140) when the shelf (130) is rotated.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, the shelf (130b) to which the tank outlet pipe (30b) arranged at the rear among the shelves (130) is fixed is illustrated as being fixed to the frame of the booth (110) and cannot be withdrawn (see FIG. 3), but this shelf (130b) may also be configured to be withdrawn, similar to the shelves (130a, 130c, 130d) arranged at the front of the pipe area (121). In this case, the shelf (130b) to which the tank outlet pipe (30b) is fixed may be configured to be withdrawn to the rear of the booth (110) where the worker is located.

As described above, by using the shelf (130) to pull out the pipe (30) forward and further rotating it, the worker can easily perform maintenance and other management work on the pipe without entering the inside of the booth (110), and the work space that was essential in the conventional pipe area can be omitted, thereby achieving miniaturization of the CCSS unit and reduction in manufacturing cost accordingly.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 7, which is a plan view for comparing and explaining the effects of a conventional CCSS unit (1) and a CCSS unit (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention, it can be seen that the horizontal length L of the conventional CCSS unit (1) and the CCSS unit (100) of the present embodiment are the same, but the vertical lengths D and D' are significantly reduced in the present embodiment compared to the conventional one. For example, compared to the conventional CCSS unit (1) having L=2400 mm and D=1800 mm, the CCSS unit (100) of the present embodiment with the same processing or supply capacity can be miniaturized to L=2400 mm and D'=1350 mm, and when the height is the same at 2200 mm, the volumes are about 9.5 m ³ (conventional) and about 7.1 m ³ (present embodiment), respectively, and a volume reduction of about 25% can be achieved according to the present embodiment.

In particular, the effects according to the present invention can be further multiplied in the case of a central chemical supply system formed by installing a plurality of adjacent CCSS units (100) as described above.

Meanwhile, in the case where the piping area (121) is divided into upper and lower sections by a shelf as in the present invention, the flow or circulation of air within the piping area (121) may be restricted, and the exhaust efficiency may be reduced due to the exhaust damper (150) for chemical fumes that may exist within. In the present embodiment, the following configuration may be adopted to resolve such problems.

First, as shown in Fig. 3, an exhaust duct (155) is connected to an exhaust damper (151) installed at the top of a piping area (121), and suction parts (156) can be installed at each location facing the space between shelves (130) on the side of the exhaust duct (155).

In addition, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a through hole (133) penetrating vertically can be formed so as to minimize interference with the flow or circulation of internal air by the shelf (130) as long as the rigidity of the shelf is not impaired, except for the portion where the pipe (30) is directly fixed to the shelf (130). In this case, the through hole (133) formed near the front end of the shelf (130) can serve as a handle when a worker withdraws the shelf (130).

Furthermore, the shelf (130) may be configured as a frame body made up of only a skeleton (frame) rather than a plate.

In addition, the partition wall (112) physically dividing each area (120) can be minimized. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the partition wall can be omitted between the piping area (121) and the pneumatic area (123), except for the electrical area (124) where the penetration of chemical fumes that may lead to fire or explosion due to electric sparks must be prevented. Furthermore, the partition wall (112) dividing the piping area (121) and the filter area (122) can also be omitted.

Alternatively, by forming a through hole similar to the through hole (133) formed in the shelf (130) described above in the partition wall between the piping area (121) and the pneumatic area (123) or the partition wall between the piping area (121) and the filter area (122), it is possible to minimize any obstruction to the flow or circulation of air between the areas.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations depicted in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not fully represent the technical scope of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be substituted for them at the time of filing of this application.

100: Chemical Supply Unit (CCSS Unit)
110: Booth
112: Bulkhead
120: Area
121: Piping area
122: Filter area
123: Pneumatic area
124: Electric Area
30: Piping
30a: Tank inlet pipe
30b: Tank outlet piping
30c, 30d: supply pipe
31: Top of the pipe
32: Fitting (connection means)
35: Valve
40a: Filter inlet pipe
40b: Filter outlet piping
130, 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d: Shelf
131: Rear end of shelf
132: The cutout of the shelf
133: Public
140: Guide rail
141: Stopper
150, 151, 152: Exhaust damper
155: Exhaust duct
156: Suction

Claims (8)

It is a chemical supply unit that is made in the shape of a rectangular booth and supplies chemicals supplied from outside to the place where they are needed.
The interior of the above booth is divided into a plurality of areas, and the plurality of areas include a piping area in which piping is arranged to receive chemicals supplied from the outside and to discharge the chemicals to the required location.
At least a portion of the pipes arranged in the above pipe area are fixed and arranged on a shelf installed horizontally inside the above pipe area,
The above shelf is installed so as to be withdrawable to the front or rear of the booth, and is configured so that when the shelf is withdrawn, the pipe fixed to the shelf is also withdrawn.
A chemical supply unit characterized in that the pipe includes a portion fixed to the shelf and a portion fixed to the pipe area other than the shelf, and the portion fixed to the shelf and the portion fixed to the pipe area are configured to be connectable/detachable from each other. In the first paragraph,
A chemical supply unit characterized in that a plurality of shelves are installed in a vertically parallel manner. In the first paragraph,
The above piping area is provided with guide rails that slidably support both ends of the shelf,
A chemical supply unit characterized in that the guide rail has a stopper provided thereon to prevent the rear end of the shelf from coming off the guide rail when the shelf is pulled out. In the third paragraph,
A chemical supply unit characterized in that the shelf is configured to be rotatable around the rear end of the shelf as a central axis when the shelf is pulled out and the rear end of the shelf is caught by the stopper. delete In the first paragraph,
A chemical supply unit characterized in that the shelf has vertically penetrating holes formed therein. In the first paragraph,
The above multiple areas are,
A filter area in which a filter is placed to filter out impurities or particles larger than a specified size contained in chemicals supplied through the above pipe area;
A pneumatic area in which equipment for supplying an inert gas or air used for supplying the chemical or drying the pipe is placed; and
A chemical supply unit characterized in that it further comprises at least one area among the electrical areas in which equipment for supplying power to equipment driven by electricity is arranged in the above-mentioned multiple areas. A central chemical supply system comprising a plurality of chemical supply units as described in any one of claims 1 to 4 or claim 6 or claim 7 installed adjacently.