Cryogenic cooling system with vent
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cryogenic cooling systems face safety risks due to high pressure build-ups caused by gaseous contaminants freezing and subsequent evaporation, which can lead to system damage and safety hazards, and existing solutions often require the user to fit vents on sample probes, making them impractical for all probes.
Innovation Solution
A cryogenic cooling system with a vent extending along the outside of the vessel, featuring a pressure relief element that opens to release gas when pressure exceeds a safety threshold, providing a safety mechanism independent of the sample probe and allowing for flexible use with various probes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sealing member is provided to prevent ingress of contaminants, then the reliability of the vessel is improved, but gaseous contaminants may still be introduced and freeze, causing high pressure build-up that compromises safety
Solution Approach 1:
A vent is introduced as an intermediary component between the vessel interior and exterior environment. The vent includes a pressure relief element that acts as a mediator to release built-up pressure when contaminants freeze and evaporate, preventing dangerous pressure accumulation while maintaining the integrity of the sealing member during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The vent is pre-installed on the vessel before use, providing a preliminary safety mechanism. The pressure relief element is configured to automatically activate when pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold, performing the protective action before dangerous pressure levels can cause system failure or safety hazards.
2Reliability
If a vent is coupled to the sample probe as proposed by Pangelis, then pressure relief is achieved, but the solution becomes impractical for sample probes that are not provided with vents or where vent attachment is impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The vent is extracted from the sample probe and repositioned directly on the vessel. This separates the pressure relief function from the sample probe, allowing the vent to be universally applied to the vessel regardless of probe type or configuration, thereby improving ease of operation and probe compatibility while maintaining pressure relief reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The vent designed for direct vessel attachment serves as a universal solution that works with all sample probe types. By mounting the vent on the vessel rather than the probe, the system achieves multi-functionality and broad compatibility, eliminating the need for probe-specific vent modifications.
3Reliability
If the inlet of the vent is arranged at a position to obtain temperature below 63 kelvin, then the vent can prevent pressure build-up from frozen nitrogen, but thermal acoustic oscillations may occur due to temperature differential
Solution Approach 1:
The vent structure is designed with local quality variations to dampen thermal acoustic oscillations. The vent may include features such as varying cross-sectional areas, baffles, or absorptive materials at specific locations to reduce oscillation amplitude while maintaining the temperature differential necessary for effective pressure relief operation.
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
The system effectively prevents dangerous pressure build-ups by allowing gas to escape externally, ensuring safety and flexibility in probe compatibility, while also optimizing thermal gradients and reducing thermal acoustic oscillations.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure relief element configured to open and close said pathway in dependence on the pressure within the vessel such that, when the pressure of a gas inside the vessel exceeds a safety threshold, the pressure relief element is opened so as to enable a flow of said gas from the inside of the vessel to the environment external to the vessel
Implementation Method 2
one or more cooling members thermally coupled to the vessel so as to produce a thermal gradient along the longitudinal axis of the vessel
Implementation Method 3
the inlet is arranged at a position along the vessel configured to obtain a temperature below 63 kelvin during operation of the one or more cooling members
Implementation Method 4
the outlet is arranged at a position configured to maintain a temperature above 273 kelvin when the outlet has a temperature below 63 kelvin
Data Source
AI summary
A cryogenic cooling system is provided having a vessel, the vessel comprising extending along a longitudinal axis and configured to receive a sample probe movable along the longitudinal axis. One or more cooling members are thermally coupled to the vessel so as to produce a thermal gradient along the longitudinal axis of the vessel. A vent extends along the outside of the vessel and is configured to provide a pathway for a flow of gas from an inlet of the vent to an outlet of the vent. The inlet is in gaseous communication with the inside of the vessel and the outlet is in gaseous communication an environment external to the vessel. The inlet is arranged at a position along the vessel configured to obtain a temperature below 63 kelvin during operation of the one or more cooling members, and the outlet is arranged at a position configured to maintain a temperature above 273 kelvin when the outlet has a temperature below 63 kelvin. The vent further comprises a pressure relief element configured to open and close said pathway in dependence on the pressure within the vessel such that, when the pressure of a gas inside the vessel exceeds a safety threshold, the pressure relief element is opened so as to enable a flow of said gas from the inside of the vessel to the environment external to the vessel.