Knudsen pump
Encyclopedia
The Knudsen pump is a gas pump
that utilizes no moving parts
. Instead it uses the so-called thermal transpiration, the phenomenon that gas molecules drift from the cold end to the hot end of a narrow channel. This thermal transpiration flow is induced when the boundary walls of the pump have a temperature gradient. Because the pump is based simply on temperature differences and has no moving parts, it could provide reliable and precise control of gas flow for a variety of applications, such as gas-sensing breath analyzers, chemical weapons detectors, and even in satellites.
It is named after Martin Knudsen
a Danish physicist.
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
that utilizes no moving parts
Moving parts
The moving parts of a machine are those parts of it that move. Machines comprise both moving and fixed parts. The moving parts have controlled and constrained motions....
. Instead it uses the so-called thermal transpiration, the phenomenon that gas molecules drift from the cold end to the hot end of a narrow channel. This thermal transpiration flow is induced when the boundary walls of the pump have a temperature gradient. Because the pump is based simply on temperature differences and has no moving parts, it could provide reliable and precise control of gas flow for a variety of applications, such as gas-sensing breath analyzers, chemical weapons detectors, and even in satellites.
It is named after Martin Knudsen
Martin Knudsen
This article is about the Danish physicist Martin Knudsen. For the Norwegian footballer, see Martin Knudsen .Martin Hans Christian Knudsen was a Danish physicist who taught and conducted research at the Technical University of DenmarkHe is primarily known for his study of molecular gas flow and the...
a Danish physicist.