Low-temperature refrigerating device

Abstract

The utility model relates to a low-temperature refrigerating device which comprises a sealing shell, the sealing shell defines a fluid-tight vacuum volume sealed by a cover cap, the device comprises at least one low-temperature cooler which penetrates through the cover cap and is of the type using a low-temperature circulating fluid cold source such as helium, and the device comprises at least one heat conduction plate. The heat transfer plate is used for receiving and cooling a component and is cooled by a circulating fluid flow through a circulating fluid loop, the circulating fluid loop supplies fluid to a group of heat exchangers, the circulating fluid loop is provided with a pipeline, the pipeline firstly conveys the circulating fluid to a manifold mounted on the plate, and the circulating fluid loop is provided with at least one transfer pipeline which transfers the circulating fluid to the manifold. And a circulating fluid circuit having a transfer conduit configured to transfer the circulating fluid from the manifold to at least one heat exchanger mounted on the same plate, the circulating fluid circuit having at least one first return conduit configured to return the fluid having circulated through the at least one heat exchanger to the manifold.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a refrigeration device and a method.

[0002] The present invention more particularly relates to a low-temperature refrigeration device, which includes a shell defining a fluid-tight vacuum volume closed by a cover, the device including at least one low-temperature cooler installed through the cover, the low-temperature cooler having a first portion located outside the shell and a second portion located inside the shell, the low-temperature cooler being of a type that uses a low-temperature circulating fluid cold source such as helium, the device including at least one heat-conducting plate for receiving and cooling a component, such as a group of cables, the at least one plate being cooled by a circulating fluid flow via a circulating fluid circuit, the circulating fluid circuit supplying fluid to a group of heat exchangers that are in heat exchange relationship with the plate respectively.

[0003] The utility model relates to a refrigeration device for cooling a component to a low temperature lower than 100K, in particular lower than 50K and / or lower than 4K.

[0004] In particular, the present invention relates to refrigeration devices for cooling to extremely low temperatures on the millikelvin scale ("subkelvin refrigeration"), which are typically achieved using dilution refrigerators or He4 or He3 Joule-Thomson cryocoolers. Background Art

[0005] In such systems, one or more refrigeration stages must be supplied with cooling capacity / power at, for example, 4 K. Such systems need to be able to cool quickly when put into operation. Furthermore, the experimental surface area available for the samples or cables to be cooled needs to be optimized.

[0006] Dilution refrigerators require cooling capacity below 4K to operate. This cooling capacity is usually supplied by a gas-filled pulse tube (in the case of a "dry" dilution refrigerator) or by a liquid helium bath (in the case of a "wet" dilution refrigerator). When used at temperatures below 1K, it is usually necessary to 3 He or 3 He- 4 The mixture was cooled.

[0007] However, the power of a single pulse tube is limited, and a large number, dozens of pulse tubes, are needed to obtain enough power to meet current and future needs. The number of such gas-filled pulse tubes limits the experimental surface area available for cooling equipment and samples. 3 He or 3 He- 4He mixtures can only be used at temperatures below 2 K. Furthermore, the time required to reach a cold state using this technique is relatively long. Consequently, this solution cannot supply very high cooling power to the sample being cooled, and can also generate vibrations.

[0008] Furthermore, the plate's thermal contact resistance can slow down the increase in power to be extracted. For high-power dilution refrigerators, one of the key requirements is pre-cooling thousands of cables or samples. This cold source can be installed in the center of the plate to cool samples or cables at the edge of the plate. Increasing the distance between the discrete cold spots (gas-filled pulse tubes) supplying the cooling power and the samples to be cooled leads to significant thermal resistance (conduction and intermediate contact resistance in large plate sizes). This is a cause of decreased thermal efficiency. Therefore, increasing power does not necessarily lead to efficient cooling.

[0009] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome all or part of the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art. Utility Model Content

[0010] To this end, in addition to complying with the general definition given in the preamble above, the main characteristics of the device according to the present invention are that the circulating fluid circuit has a pipe that first conveys the circulating fluid to a manifold mounted on a plate, the circulating fluid circuit has at least one transfer pipe that is configured to transfer the circulating fluid from the manifold to at least one heat exchanger mounted on the same plate, and the circulating fluid circuit has at least one first return pipe that is configured to return the fluid that has circulated through the at least one heat exchanger to the manifold.

[0011] Additionally, embodiments of the present invention may include one or more of the following features:

[0012] - the device comprises a plurality of heat exchangers mounted on the same plate and corresponding transfer pipes for transferring the circulating fluid from a manifold to the heat exchangers, the heat exchangers of the same plate being supplied in parallel with the circulating fluid from the delivery pipe via the manifold,

[0013] the fluid delivery conduits pass through the cover at a support plate, the support plate sealingly closing the passage through the cover, the support plate, the manifold and the delivery conduits being mechanically connected to one another to form a physical entity that can be mounted / removed relative to the enclosure (e.g. relative to the cover),

[0014] the circulating fluid circuit has a second return conduit connecting the manifold to a portion of the chiller and configured to return heated circulating fluid that has circulated through all or a portion of the set of heat exchangers,

[0015] - a second return duct passes through the cover at the support plate and is also connected to the support plate and the manifold,

[0016] - the manifold is a heat exchanger in heat exchange relation with the plates and has an internal circuit for the circulation of a circulating fluid, thereby delivering cooling power to the plates,

[0017] - one or more heat exchangers comprising or consisting of at least one of the following: exchanger plates mounted on or in a plate housing, the exchanger plates having an internal circuit for the circulation of a circulating fluid, thereby transferring cooling power to the plates; circulating fluid circulation ducts embedded in the thickness of the plates and forming meanders,

[0018] one or more heat exchangers are connected to the manifold via a set of disconnectable fluid couplings, for example disconnectable at least at one end of the transfer conduit and / or the first return conduit,

[0019] - the device comprises a plurality of heat-conducting plates arranged in a distribution direction through the enclosure and intended to be cooled to a determined respective temperature, at least two heat-conducting plates each comprising a manifold and at least one heat exchanger connected to the manifold via a transfer duct,

[0020] - the manifolds of at least two different heat conducting plates are supplied with circulating fluid via respective feed ducts,

[0021] - the at least two heat conducting plates include a first heat conducting plate and a second heat conducting plate, the manifold of the first heat conducting plate being supplied with a circulating fluid via a delivery pipe, and the manifold and / or heat exchanger of the second heat conducting plate being supplied with a circulating fluid that has circulated through at least one exchanger and / or manifold of the first heat conducting plate via a set of connecting pipes,

[0022] - at least some of the heat exchangers are equipped with at least one of: an exchanger temperature sensor; a heating member configured to regulate the temperature of the heat exchanger,

[0023] the circulating fluid circuit comprises one or more controllable valves, for example located on at least one fluid conveying conduit and configured to regulate the flow rate of the circulating fluid, for example depending on a set point and / or measurements from a temperature sensor,

[0024] at least some of the heat exchangers and / or manifolds are housed in respective housings formed in respective plates, the peripheral boundaries of the heat exchangers and / or manifolds being in contact with conjugate boundaries of the respective heat exchangers delimiting said housings,

[0025] - At least a portion of the set of heat exchangers and / or manifolds are mounted in the housings by being inserted into the corresponding housings in the plate via a transverse and / or parallel movement relative to the plane of the plate.

[0026] The present invention also relates to a refrigeration method using an apparatus according to any of the above or following features, comprising the steps of storing and / or generating a liquid cryogenic circulating fluid in a refrigerator, circulating the cryogenic fluid in a shell toward at least one manifold and from the manifold toward at least one heat exchanger to cool at least the plate, the method comprising the step of returning the heated circulating fluid that has circulated through at least one heat exchanger to a portion of the refrigerator, in which portion the circulating fluid can be cooled so as to repeat the cycle through the shell.

[0027] The present invention may also relate to any alternative device or method comprising any combination of the above or below features within the scope of the claims.

[0028] Other particular features and advantages will become apparent from a reading of the following description provided with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The invention will be better understood after reading the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0030] [ Figure 1 ] is a partial vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram showing a first embodiment example of a refrigeration device according to the present utility model,

[0031] [ Figure 2 ] is a partial vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram showing a second embodiment of a refrigeration device according to the present utility model,

[0032] [ Figure 3 ] is a partial vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram showing a third embodiment of a refrigeration device according to the present utility model,

[0033] [ Figure 4 ] is a partial vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram showing a fourth embodiment of a refrigeration device according to the present utility model,

[0034] [ Figure 5 ] is a partial vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram showing a fifth embodiment of a refrigeration device according to the present utility model,

[0035] [ Figure 6 ] is a partial perspective schematic diagram showing a first possible embodiment of the first embodiment example,

[0036] [ Figure 7 ] is viewed from below. Figure 6 ] and shows some hidden details,

[0037] [ Figure 8 ] is a partial perspective schematic diagram showing a second possible embodiment of the first embodiment example,

[0038] [ Figure 9 ] is viewed from below. Figure 8 ] and shows some hidden details,

[0039] [ Figure 10 ] is a partial vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram showing details of a sixth embodiment example of a refrigeration device according to the present utility model,

[0040] [ Figure 11 ] is a partial vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram showing details of a seventh embodiment example of a refrigeration device according to the present utility model,

[0041] [ Figure 12 ] is a partial vertical cross-sectional schematic diagram showing details of an embodiment example of a pump bath heat exchanger that can be used in a refrigeration device according to the present invention,

[0042] [ Figure 13 ]yes[ Figure 12 ] is a partial horizontal cross-sectional diagram of a heat exchanger.

[0043] [ Figure 14 ] is a partial vertical sectional schematic diagram showing details of another embodiment example of a heat exchanger that can be used in a refrigeration device according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements.

[0045] In this detailed description, the following embodiments are examples. Although the description relates to one or more embodiments, it does not mean that the features only apply to a single embodiment. The individual features of different embodiments can also be combined and / or interchanged to provide other embodiments.

[0046] [ Figure 1 The cryogenic refrigeration device 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises an enclosure 2 defining a sealed volume enclosed by a cover 3, for example made of stainless steel or aluminum. This volume is preferably in a vacuum state and houses at least one heat-conducting plate 5 (only one in this example) forming a thermal stage. As described below, multiple plates can be provided to form thermal stages with corresponding temperatures decreasing in a distribution direction (e.g., vertically from top to bottom).

[0047] A bundle of cables to be cooled (not shown) may be mounted on a set of support plates mounted on at least one plate 5. This means that the cables may extend into the enclosure 2 and be in heat exchange relationship with one or more plates.

[0048] Other components may be cooled at the plate or plates 5. Thus, for this purpose, the device may comprise a set of passages formed through the cover 3 and the plate or plates for the entry of cables and / or equipment into the enclosure 2.

[0049] The at least one plate 5 is cooled to a determined temperature by a cryocooler or refrigerator 4 .

[0050] The cryocooler 4 may be installed through the cover 3 , with a first portion thereof being located outside the enclosure 2 and a second portion being located inside the enclosure 2 .

[0051] The cryocooler 4 preferably comprises a cryogenic circulating fluid (for example based on helium) and a circulating fluid circuit 8 which circulates the circulating fluid and places it in heat exchange relationship at at least one plate 5 .

[0052] The set of plates is cooled by a circulating fluid flow via a circulating fluid circuit 8 which supplies fluid to a set of heat exchangers 17 which are in respective heat exchange relationship with the plates 5 .

[0053] This means that instead of cooling the plates 5, 6 solely by conduction using, for example, a gas-filled pulse tube or a helium bath, the device 1 delivers the cooling power / capacity via a circulating fluid flow.

[0054] Preferably, the circulating fluid contains helium or consists of helium. Before exchanging heat with the plates 5, 6, the circulating fluid can be cooled in a supercritical or superfluid state, for example to a temperature below 4 K or below 2 K. This allows the cooling power to be distributed very efficiently where it is needed.

[0055] As described and shown, cryocooler 4 may be mounted through cover 3 and may have a first end or portion outside enclosure 2 and a second end or portion inside enclosure 2. Cooler 4 is configured to supply cold at its second portion.

[0056] Cooler 4 is of a type that uses a liquefied circulating fluid cold source, such as helium or nitrogen. The cooling power of the refrigerator is stored and / or generated at its first end and transferred to plates 5 and 6 via a circulating fluid flow, which transfers the cooling power from the first end to the second end of the cooler. After exchanging heat with plates 5 and 6, the circulating fluid returns to the warm part of cooler 4 to repeat the cycle (compression, expansion, etc.).

[0057] The cooler 4 includes, for example, a circulation loop configured to subject a circulating fluid to a thermodynamic cycle that, via compression and expansion of the circulating fluid, brings the circulating fluid to a defined low temperature at at least one cold end of the circulation loop. The circulating fluid loop includes, for example, a mechanism for compressing the circulating fluid (a compressor), at least one cooling member (a heat exchanger) for cooling the circulating fluid, an expansion mechanism (a valve and / or a turbine) for expanding the circulating fluid, and at least one heating member (a heat exchanger) for heating the expanded circulating fluid. Heating and cooling can be performed, at least in part, by one or more countercurrent heat exchangers to simultaneously cool and heat both parts of the circulation loop.

[0058] The cryocooler 4 uses a circulating fluid comprising, for example, at least one of the following: helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, argon, neon. The device 1 comprises a circuit 8 having a set of delivery pipes 18 for delivering at least part of the cold circulating fluid towards one or more plates 5, 6 to be cooled.

[0059] like[ Figure 1 ], the circulating fluid circuit 8 has a delivery pipe 18, which first delivers the circulating fluid to the manifold 7 mounted on the plate 5. The circulating fluid circuit 8 also has a transfer pipe 28, which is configured to transfer the circulating fluid from the manifold 7 to at least one heat exchanger 17 (in this example, two heat exchangers 17) mounted on the same plate 5.

[0060] The circulating fluid circuit 8 has at least one return pipe 38 configured to return the fluid that has circulated through the at least one heat exchanger 17 to the manifold 7 .

[0061] This architecture allows the cold circulating fluid to be transferred to the manifolds supported by the plate 5 and allows this cooling power to be distributed to one or more heat exchangers 7 of the plate 5 .

[0062] This allows efficient and uniform distribution of the cooling power over a large surface area using a reduced number of conveyor ducts 18 , in particular only one duct.

[0063] In the case where a plurality of heat exchangers 17 are mounted on the same plate 5 (e.g. Figure 1 ]), corresponding transfer pipes 28 can be provided for conveying the circulating fluid from the manifold 7 to the heat exchangers 17. In such a case, the heat exchangers 17 of the same plate 5 can be supplied in parallel with the circulating fluid from the transfer pipes 18 via the manifold 7.

[0064] After having circulated through heat exchanger 17, the relatively hot circulating fluid may flow back to manifold 7 via corresponding return conduit 38. This hot circulating fluid may then flow back to chiller 4 via return conduit 48 so that it may, for example, be cooled again and the cycle repeated.

[0065] It should be noted that the delivery duct 18 (or ducts 18, as there may be multiple delivery ducts) and the return duct 48 (or ducts 48, as there may be multiple return ducts) are preferably housed in a vacuum-insulated heat shield or sleeve 12 to prevent heat from entering. The sleeve 12 may be provided in particular between the cover 3 and the outer portion of the refrigerator 4.

[0066] The fluid delivery line 18 (and the return line 48 ) may pass through the cover 3 at a support plate 9 or flange that seals the passage through the cover 3 .

[0067] The support plate 9, manifold 7, delivery duct 18, and return duct 48 may be mechanically interconnected to form a physical entity that can be installed / removed relative to the enclosure 2, for example, vertically installed / removed relative to the cover 3. For example, tools such as vertical struts or guides may be used to support the assembly during installation / removal operations relative to the enclosure and plates.

[0068] [ Figure 6 ]and[ Figure 7 ] shows an example of the structure of a manifold 7 associated with two heat exchangers 17, the manifold 7 receiving the cold circulating fluid (via the delivery conduit 18) and immediately distributing it to the heat exchangers 17 via the transfer conduit 28. In addition, the manifold 7 receives the circulating fluid flow that has circulated through the heat exchangers 17 via the return conduit 38 and can return this relatively hot circulating fluid, for example in the return conduit 48. This means that, in this example, unlike the heat exchangers 17, the manifold 7 is not configured for optimized heat exchange with the plates supporting it. For example, the heat exchangers 17 include an internal circulating fluid circulation loop 70 forming a serpentine coil to optimize heat exchange with the plates 5. As shown in the figure, the manifold 7 can be without such an internal loop.

[0069] In contrast, and as [ Figure 8 ]and[ Figure 9 ], the manifold 7 can also be a heat exchanger (configured for this purpose) in heat exchange relationship with the plate 5, for example by having an internal circuit 70 for the circulation of a circulating fluid, thereby transferring cooling power to the plate 5.

[0070] As shown, the heat exchanger 17 can be connected to the manifold 7 via a set of disconnectable fluid couplings 171. For example, at least one end of the transfer pipe 28 and / or the return pipe 38 can be equipped with such couplings 171, thereby allowing easy installation / removal relative to the manifold / exchanger. This particularly allows the exchanger 17 to be easily coupled to the manifold 7 after installing the set of manifold 7 and pipes 18, 48 or before removing the set of manifold 7 and pipes 18, 48, as described above.

[0071] Alternatively or in combination, some of the set of pipes of the circulating fluid circuit 8 allowing the circulating fluid to circulate to or from the heat exchanger 7, 17 and / or manifold 7 may be welded and / or brazed to the heat exchanger 7, 17 or manifold 7.

[0072] At least some of the pipes of the circulating fluid circuit 8 allowing the circulating fluid to circulate to or from the heat exchangers 7, 17 and / or the manifold 7 can be configured to have a certain flexibility, such as a bend, which is able to absorb dimensional changes caused by temperature changes between the ambient temperature when shut down and the low-temperature operating temperature of the device 1.

[0073] In the example described above, the heat exchanger 17 comprises or consists of exchanger plates mounted on or in a housing in the plate 5 and having an internal circuit 70 for the circulation of a circulating fluid, thereby transferring cooling power to the plate 5 .

[0074] [ Figure 6 ]and[ Figure 8 ] It is also schematically shown that at least some of the heat exchangers 17 can be equipped with sensors 10 for measuring the exchanger temperature and / or heating members 11 configured to regulate the temperature of the heat exchangers 17. For example, each heat exchanger 17 has such a sensor 10 and / or such a heating member 11.

[0075] Again, one or more heating members 11 make it possible to provide such temperature control.

[0076] Thus, the apparatus 1 may comprise one or more controllable valves 13 in the circulating fluid circuit 8, for example on at least one fluid delivery conduit 38 and configured to regulate the flow rate of the circulating fluid, for example according to a set point and a measurement value from a temperature sensor 10 (see [ Figure 11 ]).

[0077] At least some of the heat exchangers 17 and / or manifolds 7 may be housed in corresponding respective housings formed in the respective plates 5, 6. For example, the peripheral boundaries of the heat exchangers 17 and / or manifolds 7 are in contact with the conjugate boundaries of the respective heat exchangers 17 defining the housings (see [ Figure 10 ]).

[0078] At least a portion of the set of heat exchangers 17 and / or the manifold 7 can be mounted in the housing by being inserted into the corresponding housing in the plates via a displacement transverse to the plane of the plates 5, 6 (see vertical assembly [ Figure 10 ]).

[0079] Of course, these housings may be open on the edge of the plates in order to allow the heat exchanger 17 and / or the manifold 7 to be installed / removed in a direction parallel to the plane of the plates.

[0080] However, this form of embodiment is non-limiting. Thus, for example, at least one of the heat exchangers 17 can be a simple circulating fluid circulation pipe embedded in the thickness of the plate 5 and forming a meander (see [ Figure 5 ]). In this case, the temperature sensor 11 (if present) can measure the temperature at the plate, for example.

[0081] Likewise, as a variant or in combination, at least one heat exchanger 7 may comprise a pump bath system, such as [ Figure 12 ]and[ Figure 13 ]. This means that the heat exchanger 17 comprises an internal volume equipped with fins 172 and intended to receive a quantity of circulating fluid via at least one inlet 173 and an outlet 174, the outlet 174 being arranged to allow this fluid to circulate. The heat exchanger 17 is placed, for example, on the plate 5 or on a support plate which itself is placed on the plate 5.

[0082] It should also be noted that at least one of the heat exchangers 17 may be a collection of multiple exchangers connected in series on a plate. This means that one transfer conduit 28 may supply fluid to a first heat exchanger 17 which in turn supplies fluid to at least one other heat exchanger 17 in the series.

[0083] like[ Figure 2 ]、[ Figure 3 ]and[ Figure 4 ], the device 1 may comprise a plurality of plates 5, 6 (two in this example) arranged along a distribution direction (e.g. vertical direction) in the enclosure 2. The plates 5, 6 are intended to be cooled to a determined respective temperature which decreases, for example, towards the bottom of the enclosure 2.

[0084] Each plate 5 , 6 has a manifold 7 and two heat exchangers 17 , 17 connected to the manifold 7 via transfer ducts 28 and return ducts 38 as described above.

[0085] exist[ Figure 2], the manifolds 7 of the two plates 5, 6 are connected to the low-temperature cooler via different corresponding delivery ducts 18 and different corresponding ducts 48. This means that the two manifolds 7 and the corresponding plates are applied with different circulating fluid flows, each of which may have different temperatures. The two flows can be two different flows from the same refrigerator circuit and / or flows belonging to two different coolers. As shown in the figure, the delivery duct 18 and the return duct 48 of the lowermost plate 6 can pass through or via the manifold 7 of the previous (upper) plate. Similarly, the manifolds 7 of two (or more, if applicable) plates can be combined together so that they can be installed together in the enclosure 2 or removed from the enclosure 2, for example vertically.

[0086] exist[ Figure 3 In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the first manifold 7 of the first lower plate 6 is connected to the low-temperature cooler via a transfer conduit 18 (via the manifold 7 of the second upper plate). The first manifold 7 supplies the heat exchanger 17 of the first plate via corresponding transfer conduits 28, recovers the circulating fluid that has circulated through the heat exchanger 17 of the first plate 6, and then directs the fluid to the second manifold 7 of the second upper plate 5. The second manifold 7 supplies the heat exchanger 17 of the second plate 5 (transfer conduit), recovers the circulating fluid (return conduit 38), and then returns it to the cooler (return conduit 48).

[0087] [ Figure 4 ] embodiment and [ Figure 3 ] The only difference from the embodiment of the present invention is that the circulating fluid that has circulated through the heat exchanger 17 of the first plate 6 is then directly fed into the heat exchanger 17 of the second plate 5 (via the connecting pipe 248, not via the manifold 7 of the second plate 5).

[0088] This means that in both embodiments the manifold 7 or heat exchanger 17 of the second plate 5 is supplied with a relatively hot circulating fluid that has already circulated through at least one heat exchanger 17 and / or manifold of the (relatively colder) first plate 6. Thus, the same circulating fluid flow is used to cool both plates 5, 6 connected in series.

[0089] This then allows the circulating fluid to be first sent to the first set of heat exchangers 17, which is intended to be cooled to a first temperature, and then allows the circulating fluid that has circulated through the first set of heat exchangers 17 to be transferred to the second set of heat exchangers 7, which is intended to be cooled to a second temperature higher than the first temperature.

[0090] Thus, two different manifolds 7 and plates 5, 6 can be cooled to possibly different respective temperatures using the same circulating fluid stream.

[0091] This can naturally be extended to a larger number of boards than two.

[0092] The circulating fluid circulating in the delivery pipe 18 and / or the return pipe 48 is in a liquid state, a gaseous state, or a supercritical state, and the state of the fluid in the delivery pipe 18 may be different from the state of the fluid in the return pipe 48 .

[0093] Just like the manifolds 7 of a plurality of plates, the heat exchangers 17 of the same plate or of different plates can, where applicable, be mechanically interconnected by a set of pipes of a circulating fluid circuit 8 which circulates a circulating fluid to or from the heat exchangers. This means that the whole can be installed in the enclosure 2 in a single operation.

[0094] The heat exchangers 17 and / or the manifold 7 may be mechanically interconnected only by a set of pipes of the circulating fluid circuit 8 .

[0095] The present invention is not limited to the described or illustrated examples comprising one or two plates.

[0096] The shape of the plates shown (circular) is non-limiting (any other shape can be envisaged, such as polygonal).

[0097] The device 1 may comprise more than two plates which are distributed along the distribution direction within the enclosure 2 and form a thermal stage. The plates may be cooled, for example, to a correspondingly determined temperature which decreases along the distribution direction.

[0098] [ Figure 11 ] schematically illustrates a variation with four manifolds. The first manifold 7, located at the bottom, receives the circulating fluid stream from the delivery conduit 18 and distributes it in parallel to two heat exchangers 17 via a transfer conduit 28. These two heat exchangers then return the fluid to the first manifold 7 via a return conduit 38. The first manifold 7 then sends this circulating fluid stream to the second manifold 7, located above the first manifold 7, via a connecting conduit 148. The second manifold 7 distributes the circulating fluid stream in parallel to the two heat exchangers 17 via a transfer conduit 28. These two heat exchangers then return the fluid to the second manifold 7 via a return conduit 38. The second manifold 7 then sends this circulating fluid stream to the third manifold 7, located above the second manifold 7, via a connecting conduit 148. The third manifold 7 then distributes the fluid in parallel to the two heat exchangers 17 via a transfer conduit 28. The two heat exchangers 17 then return the fluid to the third manifold via a return conduit 38. The third manifold returns the circulating fluid to the cooler via a return conduit 48. On the other hand, the fourth manifold 7 receives the circulating fluid flow from another delivery pipe 18 and distributes it in parallel to two heat exchangers 17 connected to the fourth manifold via a transfer pipe 28. The two heat exchangers 17 then return the fluid to the fourth manifold via a return pipe 38. The fourth manifold 7 then returns the circulating fluid to the cooler via another return pipe 48.

[0099] The plates may be spaced apart from one another via supports or spacers, for example made of composite material.

[0100] At least one panel can be connected to a heat shield (a collection of walls) that forms a volume that encloses at least one subsequent panel. A panel and its corresponding heat shield enclose the following panel and heat shield in the distribution direction. This means that panels and heat shields can be installed one inside the other, like "nested" components.

[0101] In the operating configuration, the cover 3 can be at ambient temperature (at least at its outer surface) and the plates within the enclosure 2 can be cooled to reduced temperatures (e.g., in the case of four plates, to 90K, 50K, 10K and 3K respectively).

[0102] like[ Figure 14 ], at least one of the heat exchangers 17 can be used to exchange heat with another fluid in the apparatus, for example, to cool the other fluid. For example, the heat exchanger can be in heat exchange relationship with, for example, another heat exchanger 19, which receives a relatively hot fluid flow to be cooled, such as a flow of He₃ or an He₃-He₄ mixture. As shown, the two exchangers can be arranged back-to-back and / or on opposite sides of an exchanger plate and / or plates.

Claims

1. A low-temperature refrigeration device, comprising a shell (2), the shell (2) defining a fluid-tight vacuum volume closed by a cover (3), the low-temperature refrigeration device (1) comprising at least one low-temperature cooler (4), the low-temperature cooler (4) being installed through the cover (3) and having a first portion located outside the shell (2) and a second portion located inside the shell (2), the low-temperature cooler (4) being of a type using a low-temperature circulating fluid cold source, the low-temperature refrigeration device (1) comprising at least one heat conducting plate (5, 6) for receiving and cooling a component, the at least one heat conducting plate (5, 6) being cooled by a circulating fluid flow via a circulating fluid circuit (8), the circulating fluid circuit (8) supplying fluid to a group of heat exchangers of the low-temperature refrigeration device (1), the group of heat exchangers being in a heat exchange relationship with the heat conducting plates (5, 6), respectively, and characterized in that The circulating fluid circuit (8) has a delivery pipe (18), which first delivers the circulating fluid to the manifold (7) of the low-temperature refrigeration device (1) installed on the heat conducting plate (5, 6), and the circulating fluid circuit (8) has at least one transfer pipe (28), which is configured to transfer the circulating fluid from the manifold (7) to at least one heat exchanger (17) installed on the same heat conducting plate, and the circulating fluid circuit (8) has at least one first return pipe (38), which is configured to return the fluid that has circulated through the at least one heat exchanger (17) to the manifold (7).

2. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1, characterized in that The low-temperature refrigeration device comprises a plurality of heat exchangers (17) mounted on the same heat conducting plate and corresponding transfer pipes (28) for transferring circulating fluid from the manifold (7) to the heat exchangers (17), the heat exchangers of the same heat conducting plate being supplied with circulating fluid from the delivery pipe (18) in parallel via the manifold (7).

3. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The delivery duct (18) passes through the cover (3) at a support plate (9), the support plate (9) sealingly closing the passage through the cover (3), the support plate (9), the manifold (7) and the delivery duct (18) being mechanically interconnected to form a physical entity that can be installed / removed relative to the enclosure (2).

4. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 3, characterized in that The circulating fluid loop (8) has a second return conduit (48) connecting the manifold (7) to a portion of the cryocooler and configured to return heated circulating fluid that has circulated through all or a portion of the set of heat exchangers.

5. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The second return duct (48) passes through the cover (3) at the support plate (9) and is also connected to the support plate and the manifold (7).

6. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The manifold (7) is a heat exchanger in heat exchange relationship with the heat conducting plates and has an internal circuit (70) for the circulation of a circulating fluid to deliver cooling power to the heat conducting plates.

7. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The heat exchanger (17) comprises or consists of at least one of the following: an exchanger plate mounted on or in the housing of the heat conducting plate (5, 6), the exchanger plate having an internal circuit (70) for the circulation of a circulating fluid in order to transmit cooling power to the heat conducting plate; a circulating fluid circulation pipe embedded in the thickness of the heat conducting plate (5, 6) and forming a meander.

8. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The heat exchanger (17) is connected to the manifold (7) via a set of disconnectable fluid couplings (171).

9. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The cryogenic refrigeration device comprises a plurality of heat-conducting plates (5, 6) arranged in a distribution direction through the enclosure (2) and intended to be cooled to a determined respective temperature, at least two heat-conducting plates each comprising a manifold (7) and at least one heat exchanger (17) connected to the manifold (7) via a transfer conduit (28).

10. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The manifolds (7) of at least two different heat conducting plates are supplied with circulating fluid via corresponding delivery pipes (18).

11. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The at least two heat conducting plates include a first heat conducting plate and a second heat conducting plate, the manifold (7) of the first heat conducting plate is supplied with circulating fluid by a delivery pipe (18), and the manifold (7) and / or heat exchanger (17) of the second heat conducting plate is supplied with circulating fluid that has circulated through at least one exchanger and / or manifold of the first heat conducting plate via a set of connecting pipes (148, 248).

12. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least some of the heat exchangers (17) are equipped with at least one of the following: a temperature sensor (10); a heating member (11) configured to regulate the temperature of the heat exchanger (17).

13. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The circulating fluid circuit (8) includes one or more controllable valves (13) located on at least one fluid delivery conduit and configured to adjust the flow rate of the circulating fluid based on a set point and / or a measurement from a temperature sensor (10).

14. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: At least some of the heat exchangers (17) and / or manifolds (7) are housed in respective housings formed in respective heat conducting plates (5, 6), with peripheral boundaries of the heat exchangers (17) and / or manifolds (7) in contact with conjugate boundaries of the respective heat exchangers (17) delimiting the housings.

15. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 14, characterized in that: At least a portion of the set of heat exchangers (17) and / or the manifold (7) are mounted in the housing by being inserted into the corresponding housing in the heat conducting plate via a transverse and / or parallel movement relative to the plane of the heat conducting plate (5, 6).

16. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1, characterized in that The cryogenic circulating fluid is helium.

17. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 1, characterized in that The component is a set of cables.

18. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 3, characterized in that The physical entity can be installed / removed relative to the cover (3).

19. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The heat exchanger (17) is connected to the manifold (7) via a set of disconnectable fluid couplings (171) which are disconnectable at least at one end of the transfer conduit (28).

20. The low-temperature refrigeration device according to claim 4, characterized in that The heat exchanger (17) is connected to the manifold (7) via a set of disconnectable fluid couplings (171) which are disconnectable at least at one end of the first return conduit (38).

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