Cryogenic Conduit Interface for Ultra-Low Temperature Sample Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current analytical instruments are limited in cooling samples to temperatures below 10 K, and there is a need to achieve even lower temperatures for more precise analysis, while also minimizing laboratory influences such as vibrations.
Innovation Solution
The development of variable temperature analytical instruments that include a conduit system with masses maintained at specific temperatures, allowing for cryogenic cooling to as low as 300 mK, using a cryofluid source and a pump assembly to manage pressure and temperature differentials, and providing flexible configurations for sample analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If samples are cooled to lower temperatures (below 10 K), then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for advanced cryogenic cooling systems
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into multiple independent stages: a first stage cooling system that cools to below 10 K, and a second stage cooling system that provides additional cooling to reach ultra-low temperatures (below 1 K). Each stage operates independently with its own refrigeration cycle, allowing the system to achieve extreme cooling without requiring a single complex ultra-low temperature system.
Solution Approach 2:
The second stage cooling system is nested within the first stage cooling system. The second stage refrigerator is positioned inside the first stage cryostat, and its cold head is thermally coupled to the sample environment. This nested configuration allows the second stage to provide differential cooling to specific components while the first stage maintains the overall cryogenic environment.
2Temperature
If conventional cooling systems are used, then device complexity is kept simple, but temperature control precision deteriorates at ultra-low temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates dynamic temperature control through independent regulation of the first and second stage cooling systems. The second stage refrigerator can be independently controlled to provide precise differential cooling to the sample environment, while the first stage maintains the base cryogenic temperature. This dynamic control allows flexible adjustment of temperature gradients throughout the instrument.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operating parameters of two separate refrigeration cycles to achieve ultra-low temperatures. The first stage operates at a higher temperature (below 10 K) with higher cooling power, while the second stage operates at lower temperatures (below 1 K) with lower cooling power but higher temperature precision. By optimizing each stage's parameters independently, the system achieves superior temperature control.
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
Enables sample analysis at extremely low temperatures with reduced vibrations and improved cooling efficiency, allowing for more precise and reliable analysis by maintaining temperature control across the instrument components.
Implementation Method 1
a conduit configured to extend between two chambers having different pressures
Implementation Method 2
a first mass about a section of the conduit, wherein the first mass is maintained at a first temperature
Data Source
AI summary
Variable temperature analytical instrument components are provided that can include: a conduit configured to extend between two chambers having different pressures; and a first mass about a section of the conduit, wherein the first mass is maintained at a first temperature. Variable temperature analytical instruments are provided that can include: a sample chamber configured to be operably coupled to a heat or cold source via one or more conduits; an interface component configured to engage the one or more conduits with the sample chamber, the interface comprising a conduit configured to extend between two chambers having different pressures; and a first mass about a section of the conduit, wherein the first mass is maintained at a first temperature. Methods for maintaining temperatures within a variable temperature analytical instrument are also provided. These methods can include maintaining a temperature within a conduit extending between two components of the instrument while each component is maintained at different pressures.