Working fluid purification device and refrigeration system

By installing the parallel pipeline of the cold trap body on the cold head of the refrigerator, combining the vacuum pump and heating components to achieve online impurities desorption of the cold trap body, the problems of large size and complex cleaning of the cold trap device are solved, and safety and convenience are improved.

CN119573293BActive Publication Date: 2025-08-29HEFEI NATIONAL LABORATORY +1
View PDF 2 Cites 0 Cited by

Patent Information

Application Number
CN202410734616.5
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-06-07
Publication Date
2025-08-29
Estimated Expiration
2044-06-07

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing refrigerator cold trap device occupies a large space, requires frequent replenishment of liquid nitrogen and cannot be cleaned online, which has problems such as liquid nitrogen leakage and complex operation.

Method used

The cold trap main body is installed on the cold head of the refrigerator, and the parallel pipeline and circulation pipeline are isolated through a vacuum cover. The heating assembly and vacuum pump are used to desorb and clean the online impurities of the cold trap main body.

Benefits of technology

It reduces the device volume, avoids liquid nitrogen leakage, simplifies the cleaning process, realizes online cleaning of the cold trap body, and improves safety and convenience.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

  • Figure CN119573293B_ABST
    Figure CN119573293B_ABST
Patent Text Reader

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a working fluid purification device and a refrigeration system. The working fluid purification device is suitable for purifying the working fluid of the refrigeration equipment, comprising: a cold trap mechanism, comprising: a cold trap body, which is installed on the cold head of the first refrigerator and forms heat conduction with the cold head so as to be cooled by the cold head to a first temperature suitable for adsorbing impurities; a vacuum cover, which is arranged on the outside of the cold trap body, and defines a vacuum chamber suitable for being extracted to a vacuum state inside the vacuum cover, so that the cold trap body is thermally isolated from the external environment; a pipeline mechanism, comprising: a first branch, which is suitable for arranging the cold trap body in parallel on the circulation pipeline of the refrigeration equipment to be purified, and is configured to be selectively connected to the circulation pipeline; a desorption mechanism, which is configured to heat the cold trap body to a second temperature suitable for desorbing impurities in response to the cut-off state of the first branch, and extract impurities in the cold trap body.
Need to check novelty before this filing date? Find Prior Art

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, and in particular to a working medium purification device and a refrigeration system. Background Art

[0002] Chillers primarily achieve cooling by transferring heat through the working fluid in the refrigeration cycle. During operation, chillers (such as compression chillers, absorption chillers, Stirling chillers, pulse tube chillers, magnetic chillers, and cryogenic chillers) are often equipped with cold traps to remove impurities (such as oil vapor, water vapor, and other gases) from the sealed circulation system.

[0003] Taking impurity removal in a dilution refrigerator (a type of cryogenic refrigerator) as an example, the cold trap within a sealed circulation system using helium-3 as the working fluid requires liquid nitrogen as the cooling medium to maintain the trap in a low-temperature (77K) adsorption state. To maintain this low temperature, the cold trap and liquid nitrogen must be stored in a dewar, which not only requires frequent replenishment of liquid nitrogen but also takes up a large volume. Furthermore, during actual operation, the cold trap must be cleaned regularly to maintain its adsorption performance.

[0004] To desorb adsorbed impurities during cold trap cleaning, the trap must be removed from the liquid nitrogen environment and heated to room temperature. Therefore, online cleaning within the dewar is not possible. Furthermore, removing the cold trap from the dewar can result in liquid nitrogen loss, which is a risk.

[0005] Therefore, how to provide a working fluid purification device and refrigeration system that occupies a small space and can be cleaned online has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to solve at least one of the above and other technical problems in the prior art, the present disclosure provides a working fluid purification device and a refrigeration system.

[0007] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a working fluid purification device suitable for purifying the working fluid of a refrigeration device, comprising: a cold trap mechanism, comprising: a cold trap body, installed on a cold head of a first refrigerator, and forming heat conduction with the above-mentioned cold head, so as to be cooled by the above-mentioned cold head to a first temperature suitable for adsorbing impurities; a vacuum cover, which is arranged on the outside of the above-mentioned cold trap body, and the above-mentioned vacuum cover defines a vacuum chamber suitable for being extracted to a vacuum state, so that the above-mentioned cold trap body is thermally isolated from the external environment; a pipeline mechanism, comprising: a first branch, which is suitable for arranging the above-mentioned cold trap body in parallel on the circulation pipeline of the refrigeration device to be purified, and is configured to be selectively connected to the above-mentioned circulation pipeline; a desorption mechanism, which is configured to heat the above-mentioned cold trap body to a second temperature suitable for desorbing impurities in response to the cut-off state of the above-mentioned first branch, and extract impurities in the above-mentioned cold trap body.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned desorption mechanism includes: a heating component, suitable for heating the above-mentioned cold trap body to the above-mentioned second temperature; and a first vacuum pump, connected to the above-mentioned cold trap body, suitable for extracting impurities desorbed from the above-mentioned cold trap body.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the heating component is arranged in the cold head; the desorption mechanism also includes a temperature collection component communicatively connected to the heating component, which is suitable for collecting the temperature of the cold head and / or the cold trap body.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned pipeline mechanism also includes a second branch arranged between the above-mentioned cold trap main body and the above-mentioned circulation pipeline. The above-mentioned second branch connects the above-mentioned cold trap main body and the above-mentioned circulation pipeline in response to the cut-off state of the above-mentioned first branch, so that the working fluid remaining in the above-mentioned cold trap main body flows back to the above-mentioned circulation pipeline.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned cold trap mechanism also includes an air inlet pipe and an air outlet pipe, the above-mentioned air inlet pipe serves as the air inlet end of the above-mentioned cold trap body, and the above-mentioned air outlet pipe serves as the air outlet end of the above-mentioned cold trap body; wherein the above-mentioned air inlet pipe and the above-mentioned air outlet pipe are arranged side by side to form heat conduction.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cold trap body includes a first portion close to the cold head and a second portion away from the cold head; wherein the first portion and the second portion are made of different materials, and the thermal conductivity of the first portion is higher than that of the second portion.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an adsorption material is provided in the cold trap body, and the adsorption material is at least filled in the first part.

[0014] An embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a refrigeration system, comprising: at least one refrigeration equipment to be purified; at least one working fluid purification device, wherein the first branch of the working fluid purification device is connected in parallel with the circulation pipeline of each of the above-mentioned refrigeration equipment, and is configured to be selectively connected to the above-mentioned circulation pipeline; and a second vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum cover of the above-mentioned working fluid purification device, and is suitable for pumping the vacuum chamber to a vacuum state; wherein the above-mentioned working fluid purification device is configured to adsorb impurities in the working fluid in response to the conductive state of the above-mentioned first branch, and is configured to desorb impurities in the cold trap body of the above-mentioned working fluid purification device in response to the cut-off state of the above-mentioned first branch.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a refrigeration system includes a plurality of refrigeration devices connected in parallel.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the refrigeration system includes at least two of the above-mentioned working fluid purification devices, the two above-mentioned working fluid purification devices are redundant with each other, and one of them is connected to the above-mentioned refrigeration equipment.

[0017] According to the working fluid purification device and refrigeration system provided by the present disclosure, the cold trap body is installed on the cold head of the first refrigerator, replacing the liquid nitrogen used in the prior art as a cold source. This can not only reduce the volume of the device, but also prevent liquid nitrogen leakage and avoid the need for replenishment of liquid nitrogen. The first branch of the piping mechanism connects the cold trap body in parallel with the circulation pipeline of the refrigeration equipment, allowing the working fluid to switch between the circulation pipeline and the cold trap body. The first branch in the truncated state allows the working fluid to pass through the circulation pipeline and isolates the cold trap body from the working fluid, so that impurities adsorbed by the cold trap body can be cleaned online by the desorption mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a working medium purification device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A perspective view of the working medium purification device is shown, showing the cold trap body;

[0020] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The gas circuit diagram of the working medium purification device shown;

[0021] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A gas circuit diagram of another schematic embodiment of a working medium purification device is shown;

[0022] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of the working fluid purification device is shown, showing the adapter ring;

[0023] Figure 6 is a module diagram of a refrigeration system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0024] Figure 7 FIG1 is a module schematic diagram of a refrigeration system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, showing an embodiment with two working medium purification devices.

[0025] In the drawings, the meanings of the reference numerals are as follows:

[0026] 1. Cold trap mechanism;

[0027] 11. Vacuum cover;

[0028] 12. Cold trap body;

[0029] 121, Part 1;

[0030] 122, Part II;

[0031] 13. Intake pipe;

[0032] 14. Exhaust pipe;

[0033] 2. Connecting mechanism;

[0034] 21. First flange;

[0035] 22. Sleeve;

[0036] 23. Second flange;

[0037] 24. Adapter ring;

[0038] 3. Cold head;

[0039] 4. Circulation pipeline;

[0040] 5. Pipeline mechanism;

[0041] 51. First branch road;

[0042] 52, Second Branch Road;

[0043] 53, Third Branch Road;

[0044] 6. The first vacuum pump;

[0045] 7. Air extraction pipeline;

[0046] 8. Second vacuum pump;

[0047] 9. Refrigeration equipment;

[0048] 91. First refrigeration equipment;

[0049] 92. Second refrigeration equipment;

[0050] 93. Third refrigeration equipment; and

[0051] 94. The fourth refrigeration equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clearly understood, the present disclosure is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] The terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The terms "comprise," "include," etc. used herein indicate the presence of the features, steps, operations, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, or components.

[0054] All terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art, unless otherwise defined. It should be noted that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the context of this specification and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly rigid manner.

[0055] When expressions such as “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” are used, they should generally be interpreted in accordance with the meaning commonly understood by those skilled in the art. For example, “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” should include but is not limited to systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B, A and C, B and C, and / or A, B, and C, etc. When expressions such as “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” are used, they should generally be interpreted in accordance with the meaning commonly understood by those skilled in the art. For example, “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” should include but is not limited to systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B, A and C, B and C, and / or A, B, and C, etc.

[0056] For example, a dilution refrigerator is a millikelvin-class refrigeration device that utilizes a mixture of helium-3 and helium-4 in a dilution refrigeration cycle. At a temperature of 0.86K (the theoretical upper limit), helium-3 and helium-4 separate into two phases: a concentrated phase primarily consisting of helium-3 and a dilute phase primarily consisting of a mixture of helium-3 and helium-4. During the dilution refrigeration process, a pump unit is used to extract the helium-3 from the dilute phase to the external environment for heat exchange and return it to the concentrated phase.

[0057] During the circulation process of the working fluid of the dilution refrigerator, some impurities will be mixed in, such as water vapor, oil vapor and gas molecules that are not easy to condense at room temperature (such as hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen). These impurities will not participate in the main heat absorption process (i.e., helium-3 enters the dilution phase) when the working fluid circulates in the sealed circulation system (such as the circulation pipeline). Therefore, they will affect the performance and cooling capacity of the dilution refrigerator, resulting in the dilution refrigerator being unable to cool to the required extremely low temperature (such as the millikelvin level). In addition, the condensation or solidification of impurities may even cause gas line blockage, making the dilution refrigerator unable to work normally.

[0058] Currently, the cold trap mechanism used is mainly set in the dewar. When cleaning the cold trap body sealed in liquid nitrogen, the dewar's sealing state needs to be released (at this time, the liquid nitrogen in the dewar will vaporize and leak out until it is emptied. Therefore, this process cannot be carried out in a sealed indoor environment and will cause a large amount of liquid nitrogen consumption). The cold trap body is then removed from the dewar to the external environment. After the cold trap body is heated to room temperature, it is desorbed and cleaned. After cleaning, it needs to be reinstalled in the dewar and liquid nitrogen is replenished accordingly to cool it down again until the suitable adsorption temperature is reached. Therefore, the above process is complicated to operate and takes a long time (up to several hours). Moreover, since the cold trap body needs to be dismantled, the desorption process of the cold trap body cannot be realized online.

[0059] On this basis, how to provide a working fluid purification device and refrigeration system that occupies a small space and can be cleaned online has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0060] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional diagram of a working medium purification device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The perspective view of the working medium purification device is shown, showing the cold trap body. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The gas circuit diagram of the working fluid purification device is shown.

[0061] According to the present disclosure, a working fluid purification device suitable for purifying refrigeration equipment includes a cold trap mechanism 1, a piping mechanism 5, and a desorption mechanism. The cold trap mechanism 1 includes a cold trap body 12 and a vacuum cover 11. The cold trap body 12 is installed on the cold head 3 of the first refrigerator and forms heat conduction with the cold head 3 so that it is cooled by the cold head 3 to a first temperature suitable for adsorbing impurities. The vacuum cover 11 is provided on the outside of the cold trap body 12, and the vacuum cover 11 defines a vacuum chamber suitable for being evacuated to a vacuum state, so that the cold trap body 12 is thermally isolated from the external environment. The piping mechanism 5 includes a first branch 51, which is suitable for connecting the cold trap body 12 in parallel to the circulation pipeline 4 of the refrigeration equipment 9 to be purified and is configured to selectively connect to the circulation pipeline 4. The desorption mechanism is configured to heat the cold trap body 12 to a second temperature suitable for desorbing impurities in response to the cut-off state of the first branch 51, and to extract impurities from the cold trap body 12.

[0062] In an illustrative embodiment, Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the working medium purification device also includes a second vacuum pump 8. In detail, the second vacuum pump 8 is connected to the joint (including but not limited to a standard threaded joint, such as a joint with a model of KN25) provided on the vacuum cover 11 through the exhaust pipe 7. Furthermore, a sixth valve (i.e., Figure 3Thus, when the cold trap is in the first mode of operation (e.g. Figure 3 The vacuum chamber defined in the vacuum cover can be evacuated to a vacuum state by the second vacuum pump 8, so that the cold trap body 12 is thermally isolated from the external environment.

[0063] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The gas circuit diagram of another schematic embodiment of the working medium purification device is shown.

[0064] Reference Figure 4 FIG. 2 shows another exemplary embodiment, in which the working medium purification device is only equipped with one vacuum pump (ie, the first vacuum pump 6 ). Specifically, the exhaust pipe 7 is connected to the air inlet end of the first vacuum pump 6 .

[0065] In such an embodiment, since the timing of evacuating the vacuum cover 11 and the timing of evacuating the cold trap body 12 for desorption are staggered (the timing of evacuating the vacuum cover 11 is often before the working fluid purification device is operated and earlier than the desorption and cleaning of the cold trap body 12), the vacuum extraction requirement can be met only by setting up the gas path, which not only saves a vacuum pump but also further reduces the volume of the working fluid purification device.

[0066] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the cold trap body 12 includes, but is not limited to, a generally cylindrical structure. Specifically, the cold trap body 12 defines an adsorption chamber filled with an adsorbent material having a porous structure and a high specific surface area. For example, activated carbon, molecular sieves, copper mesh, activated alumina, silica gel, metal adsorbents, and at least one other material suitable for adsorbing impurities (such as water vapor, oil vapor, and gas molecules that are not readily condensable at room temperature) that pass through the cold trap body 12 may be used.

[0067] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the first refrigerator includes, but is not limited to, a low-power pulse tube cryogenic refrigerator operating at 70K (Kelvin). Specifically, the cold trap body 12 is directly mounted on the cold head 3 of the first refrigerator. The cold head 3, acting as a cooling source, cools the cold trap body 12 to a first temperature through heat conduction, which may include, but is not limited to, 77K (Kelvin) or below. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this.

[0068] For example, the first refrigerator may also be a GM refrigerator (ie, a Gifford-McMahon refrigerator based on the Joule-Thomson effect) or other refrigerators and / or mechanical cold heads suitable for cooling the cold trap body 12 to the first temperature or below.

[0069] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, the cold trap body 12 is connected in series to the first branch 51. Furthermore, the first branch 51 also connects the cold trap body 12 in parallel to the circulation pipeline 4 of the refrigeration equipment to be purified.

[0070] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, the circulation line 4 is provided with a first valve (i.e. Figure 3 Furthermore, the first branch 51 is provided with a second valve at the air inlet and the air outlet of the cold trap body 12 (ie, Figure 3 V2 as shown) and the third valve (i.e. Figure 3 V3 shown).

[0071] The first valve (i.e., V1), the second valve (i.e., V2), and the third valve (i.e., V3) are controlled in a coordinated manner. If the first valve (i.e., V1) is in the on state, the second valve (i.e., V2) and the third valve (i.e., V3) are in the off state; correspondingly, if the first valve (i.e., V1) is in the off state, the second valve (i.e., V2) and the third valve (i.e., V3) are in the on state. In this way, the working fluid purification device can be operated in the first mode (i.e., the first mode) of adsorbing impurities in the working fluid (i.e., helium 3) to achieve the desired effect. Figure 3 the solid arrow direction shown) and the second mode in which the working medium is adsorbed without passing through the cold trap body 12 (i.e. Figure 3 to switch between the directions of the dashed arrows shown).

[0072] When the working medium purification device is in the second mode (i.e. Figure 3 In the state of the dotted arrow direction shown in the figure, the desorption mechanism participates in the work to clean the impurities in the cold trap body 12 online (that is, the impurities are desorbed from the adsorption material) during the continuous operation of the refrigeration equipment, so that the cold trap body 12 is restored to the second temperature (such as room temperature) and desorption is performed.

[0073] In this embodiment, the cold trap body 12 is mounted on the cold head 3 of the first refrigerator. The cold head 3 replaces the liquid nitrogen used in the prior art as a cooling source. This reduces the size of the device and prevents leakage of liquid nitrogen, thereby improving device safety and avoiding liquid nitrogen consumption. The first branch 51 of the piping mechanism 5 connects the cold trap body 12 in parallel with the circulation pipeline 4 of the refrigeration equipment, allowing the working fluid (such as helium 3) to switch between the circulation pipeline 4 and the cold trap body 12. When the first branch 51 is in a cutoff state, the working fluid passes through the circulation pipeline 4 and isolates the cold trap body 12 from the working fluid, thereby enabling the desorption mechanism to clean impurities adsorbed by the cold trap body 12 online.

[0074] Furthermore, the cold trap body 12 uses a cold head 3 as a cold source. When cleaning the cold trap body 12, there is no need to dismantle the working fluid purification device. The cold trap body 12 can be adjusted between the first temperature and the second temperature, thereby shortening the time required to clean the cold trap body 12 and improving the convenience of cleaning the cold trap body 12. In this process, although in the second mode, that is, the working fluid (such as helium 3) does not pass through the cold trap body 12 for adsorption and impurity removal, and directly enters the refrigeration equipment (such as a dilution refrigerator). However, the time for desorption and cleaning of the cold trap body 12 (such as about one hour) is negligible compared to the working time of the refrigeration equipment (such as a dilution refrigerator) (measured in months, such as continuous operation for 1 month or more), and will not affect the performance and cooling capacity of the refrigeration equipment (such as a dilution refrigerator). For this reason, online cleaning of the cold trap body 12 can be achieved. It should be understood that the refrigerator to be purified in the present disclosure includes but is not limited to a dilution refrigerator.

[0075] For example, the refrigerator to be purified can be any one of a compression refrigerator, an absorption refrigerator, a Stirling refrigerator, a pulse tube refrigerator, a magnetic refrigerator, and other low-temperature refrigerators. The above and following embodiments merely illustrate the working fluid purification device using a dilution refrigerator as an example. The working fluid purification device can also be applied to any other refrigerator that removes impurities from the working fluid using a cold trap mechanism.

[0076] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 2 As shown, the cold trap mechanism 1 further includes an air inlet pipe 13 and an air outlet pipe 14, wherein the air inlet pipe 13 serves as the air inlet end of the cold trap body 12, and the air outlet pipe 14 serves as the air outlet end of the cold trap body 12. The air inlet pipe 13 and the air outlet pipe 14 are arranged side by side to form heat conduction.

[0077] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the air inlet pipe 13 and the air outlet pipe 14 of the cold trap mechanism 1 include but are not limited to being arranged on the upper part of the cold trap body 12. In detail, at least a portion of the air inlet pipe 13 and the air outlet pipe 14 (such as Figure 2 The middle portion shown, i.e., the portion roughly parallel to the cold trap body 12) is connected side by side (e.g., welded) so that the working medium exchanges heat with the low-temperature working medium discharged from the outlet pipe 14 during the process of entering the inlet pipe 13, so as to pre-cool the working medium before entering the cold trap body 12.

[0078] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 2 As shown, the cold trap body 12 includes a first portion 121 close to the cold head 3 and a second portion 122 away from the cold head 3. The first portion 121 and the second portion 122 are made of different materials, and the thermal conductivity of the first portion 121 is higher than that of the second portion 122.

[0079] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 2As shown, an adsorption material is disposed in the cold trap body 12 , and the adsorption material is at least filled in the first portion 121 .

[0080] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the first portion 121 of the cold trap body 12 (as shown Figure 2 The lower portion shown in FIG) and the second portion 122 of the cold trap body 12 (as shown Figure 2 Specifically, the first portion 121 and the second portion 122 are integrally formed by welding, including but not limited to, so as to provide good sealing between the first portion 121 and the second portion 122, thereby preventing the working medium from leaking from the cold trap body 12.

[0081] In a preferred embodiment, the first portion 121 includes, but is not limited to, copper. Furthermore, the second portion 122 includes, but is not limited to, stainless steel. In such an embodiment, copper has superior thermal conductivity to stainless steel. When installed on the cold head 3, it can be rapidly cooled to the first temperature. The stainless steel second portion 122 and the pre-cooled air inlet pipe 13 allow the working fluid to form a relatively uniform temperature gradient as it enters the cold trap body 12, thereby achieving step-by-step cooling and fully utilizing the cold source.

[0082] In an exemplary embodiment, the adsorption material includes, but is not limited to, being filled in the first portion 121. Furthermore, the end of the inlet pipe 13 located in the cold trap body 12 is inserted into the bottom of the adsorption material, and the end of the outlet pipe 14 located in the cold trap body 12 is located in the second portion 122, so that impurities in the working fluid (such as helium 3) passing through the adsorption material are fully adsorbed by the adsorption material.

[0083] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 3 As shown, the desorption mechanism includes a heating assembly (not shown) and a first vacuum pump 6. The heating assembly is adapted to heat the cold trap body 12 to a second temperature (e.g., room temperature). The first vacuum pump 6 is in communication with the cold trap body 12 and adapted to extract impurities desorbed from the cold trap body 12.

[0084] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, not shown in the figure, the heating component is disposed in the cold head 3. The desorption mechanism further includes a temperature collection component (not shown) in communication with the heating component, adapted to collect the temperature of the cold head 3 and / or the cold trap body 12.

[0085] In an exemplary embodiment, a heating component and / or a temperature acquisition component may be disposed within the cold head 3. The heating component includes, but is not limited to, a resistance heater, a heating tape, a PTC (positive temperature coefficient) heater, a ceramic heater, a heat exchanger, or any other suitable heating component suitable for heating the cold trap body 12 to a second temperature (e.g., room temperature). The temperature acquisition component includes, but is not limited to, a platinum resistor (e.g., PT100 or PT1000), a thermocouple, a nickel resistance temperature sensor (NTC), a diode temperature sensor, or any other suitable temperature acquisition component suitable for acquiring the temperature of the cold trap body 12 at a first temperature (e.g., 77K). Specifically, since the cold trap body 12 and the cold head 3 are assembled together, providing good heat conduction, the temperature of the cold trap body 12 can be considered to be approximately the same as that of the cold head 3. Therefore, the heating component and temperature acquisition component, when mounted on the cold head 3, can be considered to heat the cold trap body 12 and acquire its temperature.

[0086] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 3 As shown, the pipeline mechanism 5 also includes a second branch 52 arranged between the cold trap body 12 and the circulation pipeline 4. The second branch 52 connects the cold trap body 12 and the circulation pipeline 4 in response to the cut-off state of the first branch 51, so that the working fluid remaining in the cold trap body 12 flows back to the circulation pipeline 4.

[0087] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, the second branch 52 is provided at the air inlet end of the cold trap body 12 (as shown in FIG. Figure 3 In detail, a fourth valve (i.e., Figure 3 V4 as shown), and the second branch 52 is maintained in a negative pressure state. The negative pressure state formed in the second branch 52 is mainly achieved by a pump disposed between the second branch 52 and the circulation pipeline 4. For example, a molecular pump (or other pump, not shown) can be disposed between the second branch 52 and the circulation pipeline 4. The end of the second branch 52 away from the fourth valve (i.e., V4) is disposed at the front end of the molecular pump (or other pump, not shown). As a result, the suction action of the molecular pump (or other pump, not shown) creates a negative pressure state in the second branch 52.

[0088] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, the pipeline mechanism 5 also includes a third branch 53. In detail, the first vacuum pump 6 is arranged on the third branch 53. Furthermore, a fifth valve (i.e., Figure 3 V5 shown).

[0089] In a preferred embodiment, in order to facilitate the control of the branches of the circulation pipeline 4 and the pipeline mechanism 5, the above-mentioned valves and pumps can be coordinated and controlled by corresponding control terminals (such as PLC, programmable logic controller, host computer or other equipment). Figure 3 In the gas circuit diagram shown, the first valve (i.e., V1), the second valve (i.e., V2), the fourth valve (i.e., V4), the fifth valve (i.e., V5) and the sixth valve (i.e., V6) can be controlled in a non-electrical closing manner, and the third valve (i.e., V3) can be controlled in a non-electrical opening manner.

[0090] In this embodiment, when the working fluid purification device is in the second mode, the second valve (i.e., V2) and the third valve (i.e., V3) are closed, so that the first branch 52 is in a cut-off state, and the working fluid circulates in the refrigeration equipment through the circulation pipeline 4; at this time, the fourth valve (i.e., V4) is opened, and the negative pressure in the second branch 52 causes the working fluid (such as helium 3) remaining in the cold trap body to flow back into the circulation pipeline 4 (or the working fluid source connected to the circulation pipeline 4) to extract the working fluid. After the gas pressure falls below a preset value (including but not limited to 10 mbar), the fourth valve (i.e., V4) is closed to prevent the waste of working fluid; after the working fluid is completely extracted, the fifth valve (i.e., V5) is opened. The cold trap body 12 is slowly raised to a second temperature (such as room temperature) by the heating component and stably maintained for a preset time (including but not limited to half an hour), and then the first vacuum pump 6 is used to extract impurities desorbed from the adsorption material of the cold trap body 12 until the impurities are completely cleaned; after the impurities are completely cleaned, the fifth valve (i.e., V5) is closed, and the cold trap body 12 is cooled by the cold head 3 until the first temperature (such as 77K) is restored and stably maintained for a preset time (including but not limited to half an hour), and then the second valve (i.e., V2) and the third valve (i.e., V3) are opened, and the first valve (i.e., V1) is closed, so that the working fluid purification device returns to the first mode of adsorbing impurities in the working fluid.

[0091] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 The partially enlarged view of the working fluid purification device shown shows the adapter ring.

[0092] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 1 and Figure 5As shown, the working medium purification device also includes a connecting mechanism 2 arranged between the cold trap body 12 and the cold head 3. In detail, the connecting mechanism 2 includes a first flange 21 installed at the lower end of the cold trap body 12, a second flange 23 installed at the upper end of the cold head 3, and a sleeve located between the first flange 21 and the second flange 23. Furthermore, the first flange 21, the second flange 23 and the sleeve 23 define a chamber connected to the vacuum chamber, so that under the action of the second vacuum pump 8, they are all pumped to a vacuum state, thereby maintaining thermal isolation at the connection position between the cold trap body 12 and the cold head 3. Among them, the first flange 21 and / or the second flange 23 include but are not limited to vacuum caliper flanges.

[0093] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, the connecting mechanism 2 further includes an adapter ring 24. Specifically, the cold trap body 12 and the cold head 3 are connected via the adapter ring 24. The adapter ring 24 includes but is not limited to being made of copper.

[0094] Figure 6 is a module diagram of a refrigeration system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0095] Based on the same concept, the present disclosure also provides a refrigeration system, such as Figure 6 As shown, it includes at least one refrigeration device 9 to be purified, at least one working fluid purification device and a second vacuum pump 8. The first branch 51 of the working fluid purification device is connected in parallel with the circulation pipeline 4 of each refrigeration device 9, and is configured to selectively connect to the circulation pipeline 4. The second vacuum pump 8 is connected to the vacuum cover 11 of the working fluid purification device and is suitable for pumping the vacuum chamber to a vacuum state. The working fluid purification device is configured to adsorb impurities in the working fluid in response to the conductive state of the first branch 51, and is configured to desorb impurities in the cold trap body 12 of the working fluid purification device in response to the cut-off state of the first branch 51.

[0096] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 6 As shown, the refrigeration system includes a plurality of refrigeration devices 9 connected in parallel.

[0097] In an illustrative embodiment, Figure 6 As shown, the refrigeration system includes but is not limited to four refrigeration devices 9, namely Figure 6Arranged from left to right are the first refrigeration device 91, the second refrigeration device 92, the third refrigeration device 93, and the fourth refrigeration device 94. Specifically, each refrigeration device (i.e., the first refrigeration device 91, the second refrigeration device 92, the third refrigeration device 93, and the fourth refrigeration device 94 are each equipped with an independent circulation pipeline 4) is connected in parallel. Furthermore, the working fluid inlet and outlet of each refrigeration device 9 are each connected to a working fluid purification device. The refrigeration device 9 includes, but is not limited to, a refrigerator, pipelines connected to the refrigerator, a working fluid source, a pump, valves, detection components (such as a pressure gauge, flow meter, thermometer, and other metering devices suitable for measuring the working fluid status), and other components suitable for circulating the working fluid between the refrigerator and the environment requiring refrigeration.

[0098] In this embodiment, a single working fluid purification device can be used to clean (i.e., remove) impurities from multiple refrigeration units 9 that are located in close proximity. Furthermore, during the initial operation of a refrigeration unit 9 (during which the working fluid contains a large amount of gaseous impurities), the cold trap mechanism of a single working fluid purification device may not be able to absorb a large amount of impurities. Therefore, multiple refrigeration units 9 can be configured with different startup times so that the cold trap mechanism of the working fluid purification device can be shared among the multiple refrigeration units 9.

[0099] Figure 7 FIG1 is a module schematic diagram of a refrigeration system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, showing an embodiment with two working medium purification devices.

[0100] According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 7 As shown, the refrigeration system includes at least two working fluid purification devices, which are redundant with each other, and one of them is connected to the refrigeration equipment 9.

[0101] In an exemplary embodiment, two independent working fluid purification devices may be configured in the refrigeration system. Figure 7 The connection mode shown is respectively connected to multiple refrigeration devices 9 in the refrigeration system.

[0102] In this embodiment, two working fluid purification devices can be connected to each refrigeration unit 9 in the refrigeration system, providing redundancy. That is, while one working fluid purification device is in a first mode for adsorbing impurities, the other is in a second mode for standby operation or desorbing adsorbed impurities. This ensures that the refrigeration system operates continuously without interruptions in adsorbing impurities, making it suitable for use in scenarios where the gas source contains a large amount of impurities. For example, in the case of adsorbing impurities from the working fluid of a dilution refrigerator, this can be applied to the initial operation of the dilution refrigerator and / or in situations where leaks in the circulation piping result in the entrainment of a large amount of gaseous impurities.

[0103] It should also be noted that directional terms such as "upper," "lower," "front," "back," "left," and "right" mentioned in the embodiments are merely references to the drawings and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Throughout the drawings, identical elements are represented by identical or similar reference numerals. Conventional structures or configurations will be omitted where they may cause confusion in understanding the present disclosure.

[0104] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described above. However, these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Although each embodiment has been described separately above, this does not mean that the measures in each embodiment cannot be used in combination to advantage. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art may make various substitutions and modifications, which should all fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A working fluid purification device, suitable for purifying the working fluid of refrigeration equipment, characterized in that: include: A cold trap mechanism (1), comprising: The cold trap body (12) is mounted on the cold head (3) of the first refrigerator and forms heat conduction with the cold head (3) so as to be cooled by the cold head (3) to a first temperature suitable for adsorbing impurities; A vacuum cover (11) is arranged outside the cold trap body (12), wherein a vacuum chamber suitable for being evacuated to a vacuum state is defined within the vacuum cover (11), so as to thermally isolate the cold trap body (12) from the external environment; Pipeline mechanism (5), including: The first branch (51) is suitable for arranging the cold trap body (12) in parallel on the circulation pipeline (4) of the refrigeration equipment to be purified, and is configured to selectively connect to the circulation pipeline (4); a desorption mechanism configured to heat the cold trap body (12) to a second temperature suitable for desorbing impurities in response to the cut-off state of the first branch (51), and to extract impurities from the cold trap body (12); The desorption mechanism comprises: a heating assembly adapted to heat the cold trap body (12) to the second temperature; and a first vacuum pump (6) connected to the cold trap body (12) and adapted to extract impurities desorbed from the cold trap body (12); The pipeline mechanism (5) further includes a second branch (52) provided between the cold trap body (12) and the circulation pipeline (4); the second branch (52) connects the cold trap body (12) and the circulation pipeline (4) in response to the cut-off state of the first branch (51), so as to allow the working fluid remaining in the cold trap body (12) to flow back to the circulation pipeline (4); The cold trap body (12) comprises a first portion (121) close to the cold head (3) and a second portion (122) away from the cold head (3); The first part (121) and the second part (122) are made of different materials, and the thermal conductivity of the first part (121) is higher than the thermal conductivity of the second part (122).

2. The purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that The heating component is arranged in the cold head (3); The desorption mechanism further comprises a temperature collection component communicatively connected to the heating component, and adapted to collect the temperature of the cold head (3) and / or the cold trap body (12).

3. The purification device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The cold trap mechanism (1) further comprises an air inlet pipe (13) and an air outlet pipe (14), wherein the air inlet pipe (13) serves as an air inlet end of the cold trap body (12), and the air outlet pipe (14) serves as an air outlet end of the cold trap body (12); The air inlet pipe (13) and the air outlet pipe (14) are arranged side by side to form heat conduction.

4. The purification device according to claim 1, characterized in that Adsorption material is provided in the cold trap body (12), and the adsorption material is at least filled in the first part (121).

5. A refrigeration system, characterized in that: include: at least one refrigeration device to be cleaned (9); At least one working fluid purification device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first branch (51) of the working fluid purification device is connected in parallel with the circulation pipeline (4) of each of the refrigeration equipment (9) and is configured to selectively communicate with the circulation pipeline (4); as well as a second vacuum pump (8), connected to the vacuum cover (11) of the working medium purification device, and adapted to pump the vacuum chamber to a vacuum state; The working fluid purification device is configured to adsorb impurities in the working fluid in response to the conduction state of the first branch (51), and is configured to desorb impurities in the cold trap body (12) of the working fluid purification device in response to the cut-off state of the first branch (51).

6. The refrigeration system according to claim 5, characterized in that It comprises a plurality of refrigeration devices (9) connected in parallel.

7. The refrigeration system according to claim 6, characterized in that It comprises at least two of the working fluid purification devices, at least two of the working fluid purification devices are redundant with each other, and one of them is connected to the refrigeration equipment (9).

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Apparatus and method for purifying gases and method of regenerating the same

    CN105983293A

  • Gas purification device

    CN107497243A