Cryogenic Cell Without Cold Head for High-Volume Gas Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of a cold head in cryogenic cells imposes limitations on size, features, and functionality, particularly in applications requiring high processing volumes, such as gas separation, due to specific dimensions and limited cryogen volume, which restricts heat absorption and fluid processing rates.
Innovation Solution
A cryogenic cell design without a cold head, utilizing a pressurizable space with a compressible fluid to regulate thermal communication and a cryogenic compressor system to regenerate cryogen, allowing for adjustable heat transfer rates and increased processing capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cold head is used to regenerate cryogen in a cryogenic cell, then the cryogen can be regenerated into liquid phase, but the size and dimensions of the cryogenic cell are limited by the cold head dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the cold head component from the cryogenic cell system. Instead of using a cold head to regenerate cryogen, the system uses a compressor to vaporize, compress, and condense the cryogen externally. This elimination of the cold head removes the dimensional constraints it imposed on the cryogenic cell, allowing for larger and more flexible cell designs while maintaining cryogen regeneration capability.
2Device complexity
If a conventional cold head with limited cryogen volume is used, then the device structure is simplified, but the heat absorption rate and fluid processing capacity are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention employs pneumatic principles by using a compressor to handle the cryogen in vapor phase. The compressor vaporizes liquid cryogen, compresses the vapor to increase pressure and temperature, and then condenses it back to liquid form. This pneumatic approach replaces the limited thermal mass method of cold heads with a dynamic compression-based regeneration system that can handle much larger heat absorption rates and fluid processing volumes.
3Reliability
If a cold head is integrated into the core, then cryogen regeneration is achieved, but the cryogenic cell cannot be evacuated and has fixed dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the cryogen regeneration function from the internal cold head structure and relocates it to an external compressor system. This separation allows the cryogenic cell to be fully evacuated for thermal insulation purposes and enables flexible configuration options, including different core arrangements, pressurizable spaces, and insulation structures, without being constrained by integrated cold head dimensions.
4Measurement precision
If the pressurizable space is set to high pressure for gas separation, then phase change and separation efficiency improve, but the heat transfer rate and processing capacity are constrained by cold head limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses pneumatic compression to overcome the heat transfer limitations of cold heads. By compressing the cryogen vapor to high pressures and temperatures, then condensing it externally, the system can maintain high pressure conditions in the pressurizable space for efficient gas separation while simultaneously handling much larger volumes of gas. The compressor-based regeneration system provides the necessary heat absorption capacity to process large gas volumes at high pressure without being constrained by cold head dimensions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances the processing capacity and flexibility of cryogenic cells by eliminating size constraints and increasing heat transfer efficiency, enabling the processing of larger volumes of fluid in a shorter time without moving parts, thus improving reliability and safety.
Implementation Method 1
The rate of heat exchange with the core is dependent, at least in part, on the pressure within the pressurizable space
Implementation Method 2
compress the cryogen vapor into liquid cryogen
Implementation Method 3
By heat exchange with the core, the pressurizable space can be cooled to a temperature at or near the temperature of the cryogen within the core
Implementation Method 4
As heat exchange between the core and the pressurizable space occurs, the cryogen within the core vaporizes
Data Source
AI summary
A cryogenic cell adapted to expose a fluid to selectable pressure and temperature conditions has a core filled with a cryogen and a space in selective, partial thermal communication with the core, the space being at least substantially airtight and adapted to be filled or evacuated with a compressible fluid that (1) increases or decreases thermal communication with the core in accordance with a pressure of the compressible fluid within the space, and (2) places contents of the space under the pressure of the compressible fluid. As heat exchange between the core and the space occurs, cryogen vapor is withdrawn from the core, compressed into liquid, and returned to the core. The core does not include a cold head.