Design considerations for heated wells in gloveboxes

Heated wells in gloveboxes have been used for many years by the Argonne National Laboratory Chemical Technology Division for nuclear-technology, waste-management, chemical-technology, and analytical-chemistry research. These wells allow experiments to be isolated from the main working volume of the glovebox. In addition, wells, when sealed, allow experiments to be conducted under pressurized or vacuum conditions. Until recently, typical maximum operational temperatures were about 500 C. However, more recent research is requiring operational temperatures approaching 900 C. These new requirements pose interesting design challenges that must be resolved. Some problem areas include temperature effects on material properties, maintaining a seal, cooling selected areas, and minimizing stresses. This paper discusses issues related to these design challenges and the ways in which these issues have been resolved