Integrated dilution refrigerators
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dilution refrigerators face issues such as high maintenance costs due to liquid cryogens, mechanical vibrations, large footprint, and inefficiencies in cooling processes, which hinder scalability and usability in quantum computing applications.
Innovation Solution
A distributed refrigeration system integrating a pre-cooling system with cryocooling components like pulse tubes and helium liquefiers, combined with passive helium filters, cooldown turbo chargers, and vibration isolation, to enhance efficiency and reduce mechanical complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional dilution refrigerators use liquid nitrogen and 4He baths for precooling, then cooling performance is achieved, but maintenance costs increase and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical liquid cryogen handling system with a gas-based precooling system using a pulse tube refrigerator and heat exchangers. This substitution eliminates the need for liquid nitrogen and 4He baths, reducing maintenance requirements while maintaining cooling performance down to millikelvin temperatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the liquid cryogen components (liquid nitrogen tank, liquid 4He bath) from the dilution refrigerator system. By taking out these complex liquid handling systems and replacing them with a closed-cycle gas-based precooling system, the overall device complexity and maintenance burden are significantly reduced.
2Temperature
If conventional dilution refrigerators use liquid cryogens, then cooling is achieved, but maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-contained closed-cycle precooling system using a pulse tube refrigerator that automatically circulates and cools the 3He/4He mixture without requiring external liquid cryogen replenishment. The system serves itself by continuously precooling the mixture through heat exchangers, eliminating the need for periodic maintenance associated with liquid cryogen handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive, maintenance-intensive liquid cryogen systems with a more economical closed-cycle gas-based system. The pulse tube refrigerator and associated heat exchangers provide a cost-effective alternative that eliminates recurring maintenance costs associated with liquid nitrogen and 4He bath management.
3Temperature
If conventional dilution refrigerators are designed for cooling performance, then temperature control is achieved, but footprint increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the precooling system and dilution refrigerator into a single integrated unit. The pulse tube refrigerator, heat exchangers, and dilution cooling components are combined in a compact configuration that maintains millikelvin temperature control while significantly reducing the overall footprint compared to conventional separate liquid cryogen systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adopts a vertical configuration for the integrated system, utilizing the vertical dimension to arrange components efficiently. The pulse tube refrigerator and heat exchangers are arranged vertically to optimize space utilization, reducing the horizontal footprint while maintaining effective temperature control across all cooling stages.
4Temperature
If conventional dilution refrigerators use mechanical cooling components, then cooling is achieved, but mechanical vibrations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical cooling components that generate vibrations with a pulse tube refrigerator design that minimizes vibration transmission. The pulse tube system uses acoustic standing waves to drive the cooling process, substituting traditional mechanical compressors and moving parts with an acoustic field-based approach that significantly reduces harmful mechanical vibrations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces vibration isolation mechanisms as intermediaries between the pulse tube refrigerator and the dilution refrigerator components. These intermediary elements, including flexible connections and vibration dampers, decouple the vibration sources from the sensitive cooling zones, allowing effective cooling while minimizing the transmission of mechanical vibrations to the experimental environment.
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 achieves reliable, compact, and efficient cooling with reduced maintenance needs, enabling scalable integration with commercial server racks and minimizing mechanical vibrations.
Implementation Method 1
Modern dilution refrigerators, or 'dry' dilution refrigerators, precool the 3He/4He mixture using devices such as a cryocooler rather than cryogenic liquid baths
Implementation Method 2
The cryocooling system comprises a pulse tube
Implementation Method 3
the cryocooling system comprises a Brayton cryocooler
Implementation Method 4
the cryocooling system comprises a helium liquefier system
Implementation Method 5
Dilution refrigerators are cryogenic devices that rely on the heat of mixing of the 3He and 4He isotopes to provide cooling down to temperatures between approximately 2 mK and 1 K
Implementation Method 6
the thermal coupling components comprise one or more heat pipes
Implementation Method 7
the one or more heat pipes comprise one or more pulsed heat pipes
Implementation Method 8
the thermal coupling components comprise a superfluid loop
Data Source
AI summary
A distributed refrigeration system is provided. The distributed refrigeration system comprises a pre-cooling system configured to be thermally coupled to two or more cryogenic devices and to provide a first cooling stage to the two or more cryogenic devices. The two or more cryogenic devices may be two or more of a dilution refrigerator, a low-temperature microscopy system, a 3He refrigeration system, and/or a superconducting CMOS system.