Method of vaporizing multicomponent liquids

Abstract

A method of vaporizing a multicomponent liquid, such as a hydrogen peroxide and water solution, for injection into a vacuum chamber including the steps of metering successive predetermined increments of the liquid at a predetermined rate onto a heated surface in a vaporization chamber. Upon exposure to the heated surface, each liquid increment is substantially instantaneously vaporized before the next succeeding liquid increment is metered onto the heated surface to produce a multi-component vapor increment having substantially the same weight percent composition as the multicomponent liquid increment. Each vapor increment is passed into the vacuum chamber.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of vaporizing a multicomponent liquid comprising: metering successive predetermined increments of said multicomponent liquid at a predetermined rate onto a heated surface of a vaporization chamber;   substantially instantaneously vaporizing each said liquid increment on said heated surface before the succeeding said liquid increment is metered onto said heated surface so that each liquid increment vaporization produces a multicomponent vapor increment having substantially the same weight percent composition as said multicomponent liquid increment; and   passing each said vapor increment into a .[.vacuum.]. chamber.   
     
     
       2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising heating said surface at a rate that replaces the heat lost to vaporizing each liquid increment before said next succeeding liquid increment is metered onto said surface. 
     
     
       3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said multicomponent liquid is a binary composition having components of significantly differing volatilities. 
     
     
       4. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein said binary composition is a hydrogen peroxide, water solution having a hydrogen peroxide concentration of about 20-50% by weight. 
     
     
       5. A method of vaporizing a multicomponent liquid comprising: metering a predetermined amount of the multicomponent liquid into a vaporization chamber;   heating said amount of liquid on a surface of said vaporization chamber to substantially instantaneously raise the least volatile component of said multicomponent liquid to its boiling point to produce a multicomponent vapor having substantially the same percent composition as said amount of said multicomponent liquid;   passing said multicomponent vapor into a .[.vacuum.]. chamber; and   repeating for a predetermined period of time said metering, heating, and passing steps at a predetermined rate no greater than that required to substantially completely vaporize one said amount of liquid before metering the next said amount of liquid.