Cryostat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cryostats for temperatures below 2 K are becoming large and high due to vertical arrangements of experimental stations, making them difficult to access and requiring extensive space, as all structures must be hung within heat shields, limiting their use in standard laboratory settings.
Innovation Solution
Experimental stations are arranged next to each other rather than stacked vertically, allowing access from above and the side after removing heat shields, significantly reducing the cryostat's height and enabling operation in standard laboratory rooms, while accepting increased cooling capacity needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If experimental stations are arranged vertically one below the other, then the cryostat structure is compact and easy to manufacture, but the height increases and accessibility from the side is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a vertical stacking arrangement to a horizontal side-by-side arrangement of experimental stations. This dimensional change allows multiple experimental stations to be positioned at the same height level rather than stacked vertically, thereby reducing the overall height of the cryostat while maintaining compactness through horizontal distribution of components.
2Volume of moving object
If experimental stations are arranged vertically, then the construction volume is reduced, but accessibility and handling become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By arranging experimental stations horizontally side by side at the same height level instead of stacking them vertically, the patent improves accessibility from both above and the sides. This dimensional reconfiguration allows researchers to access multiple experimental stations more easily while maintaining a compact construction volume through efficient horizontal space utilization.
3Ease of operation
If experimental stations are arranged side by side, then accessibility is improved and height is reduced, but heat shields become larger
Solution Approach 1:
The patent accepts the trade-off of increased heat shield area in the horizontal plane in exchange for significantly reduced height and improved accessibility. The heat shields are configured to cover the horizontally distributed experimental stations, and this dimensional rearrangement enables the cryostat to be operated in standard laboratory rooms with conventional ceiling heights.
4Power
If vertical arrangement is used, then cooling capacity requirements are lower, but the cryostat cannot be used in standard laboratory rooms
Solution Approach 1:
By reconfiguring the experimental stations from a vertical to a horizontal arrangement, the patent reduces the overall height of the cryostat to a level compatible with standard laboratory room ceilings. This dimensional change enables the system to be installed in conventional laboratory environments while managing cooling capacity requirements through the redistributed thermal load across horizontally positioned stations.
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 configuration simplifies experiment accessibility and handling, reduces the overall height of the cryostat, and allows its use in standard laboratory environments, despite potentially larger heat shields, by arranging experimental stations at the same height level.
Implementation Method 1
A first cold plate 8-1, which is not cooled any further, is provided, on which the components of a first experimental station 4-1 are arranged. A second cold plate 8-2 is arranged below the first cold plate 8-1, which is cooled by a pulse tube cooler 26 to a second temperature level of approximately 50 K
Implementation Method 2
The first to fifth experimental stations 4-1 to 4-5 are enclosed by a first heat shield 32-1. The second to fifth experimental stations 4-2 to 4-5 are enclosed by a second heat shield 32-2
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3
AI summary
The present document specifies a cryostat for experiments in the region of below 2K, which permits improved accessibility for the experimentation places (4-i) and at the same time a smaller construction volume. By virtue of the fact that the experimentation places (4-i) are arranged next to one another instead of one below the other, after removal of the respective heat shields (32-i) these places are accessible from above and from the side, whereas in the prior art they are accessible only from the side. This simplifies various experiments and more generally the handling of the cryostat during use. The side-by-side arrangement of the experimentation places also substantially reduces the construction height of the cryostat, and it is possible to operate the cryostat in standard-height laboratory spaces, which is not possible with cryostats having a vertically suspended arrangement. Although the side-by-side arrangement of the experimentation places can lead to heat shields having a larger surface area, this drawback (increased cooling power from the various coolers being necessary for operation) can be compensated for by the possibility of use in standard-height laboratory spaces.