Cryogenic system including integrated cryocooler and dilution refrigerator
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cryogenic systems face inefficiencies such as large system footprints, inefficient thermalization of incoming helium gas, and cold gas returning to room temperature through the still pumping line, reducing overall system efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a dilution refrigerator with a pulse tube or 4K cryogenic system by incorporating a still pumping line into a vacuum interface of a pulse tube, allowing for improved thermalization and reduced size, enhancing cooling performance and energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional cryogenic system uses separate components for cryocooling and dilution refrigeration, then the system can achieve low temperatures, but the system footprint becomes large and thermalization efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the still pumping line of the dilution refrigerator with the vacuum interface of the pulse tube cryocooler into a single unified component. This merging eliminates the need for separate components and their associated connections, directly reducing the system footprint while maintaining the ability to achieve cryogenic temperatures through the integrated design
2Productivity
If cold gas returns to room temperature through the still pumping line in conventional systems, then the gas can be pumped out, but thermalization efficiency is reduced and energy is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated still pumping line is thermally connected to the cold end of the pulse tube cryocooler, allowing incoming helium gas to be pre-cooled before entering the dilution refrigerator. This preliminary cooling action prevents the gas from returning to room temperature during the pumping process, thereby improving thermalization efficiency and reducing energy waste while maintaining effective gas pumping
3Reliability
If the condensing line is separate from the cryocooler in conventional systems, then the dilution refrigerator can operate independently, but the system complexity increases and integration efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The condensing line is integrated with the pulse tube cryocooler components, merging previously separate functional elements into a unified structure. This integration reduces system complexity by eliminating separate connections and components while maintaining the reliability of independent operation through proper thermal and functional coupling of the integrated elements
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 integrated system achieves better thermalization of incoming helium gas, improved cooling performance, and a significantly more compact solution for generating sub-Kelvin cryogenic temperatures, with a smaller footprint and reduced radiative heat loads.
Implementation Method 1
the cryocooler comprises one or more pulse tubes
Implementation Method 2
exchanging heat between the condensing line and the cryocooler, and exchanging heat between the condensing line and the still pumping line
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a regenerative cryogenic system comprising a pulse tube assembly comprising one or more stages configured to generate cryogenic temperatures below 4.2 Kelvin, one or more flanges configured to provide vacuum interface or thermalization, the one or more flanges coupled to the pulse tube assembly, and a still pumping line integrated with the one or more of the flanges, the still pumping line configured to provide a flow path for still gas of a dilution refrigerator.