A vacuum system for the thermal insulation of the SciFi distribution lines and manifolds

This note describes some calculations and estimates for the layout, technology choice and performance of a vacuum system which shall ensure thermal insulation of the distribution lines and manifolds of the SiPM cooling system of the LHCb SciFi detector. We estimate the heat losses in concentric corrugated stainless steel pipes which leads to the conclusion that the pipes need to be evacuated to a pressure of about 1·10$^{-4}$ mbar. We then estimate the pumping conductance of the pipes and find that it will dominate over the effective pumping speed of any pump. We therefore conclude that a turbo molecular pump of small nominal pumping speed, which can easily achieve end pressures below 10$^{-5}$ mbar is adequate for this purpose. A preliminary layout of the vacuum system is being discussed at the end of the document.