Two-Stage Cryogenic Cooling Apparatus for Rapid Gem Spectral Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cooling apparatuses for gems are inefficient, requiring prolonged cooling times and complex mechanisms, which limit production capacity and increase costs, and often involve undesirable interactions with the cooling medium and the need for a closed environment with moisture-free gas infusion.
Innovation Solution
A two-stage cooling apparatus and method using a container with a high heat capacity cooling block and a placement structure with high thermal conductivity, where the object is cooled in an open system with liquid coolant, allowing rapid cooling without the need for a closed environment or moisture-free gas infusion, and utilizing a light reflective inner container for improved spectral analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If direct immersion cooling is used, then cooling speed is improved, but interaction between cooling medium and spectral information occurs causing measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into two distinct stages: a first cooling stage using direct immersion in liquid nitrogen, and a second cooling stage using a cold finger apparatus. This segmentation allows the gem to be rapidly cooled initially, then transferred to a non-contact cooling method that preserves spectral information integrity during analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The cold finger apparatus serves as an intermediary cooling mechanism between direct liquid nitrogen immersion and spectral analysis. It provides continuous cooling through thermal conduction without requiring the gem to be immersed in liquid, thus preventing contamination of spectral data while maintaining cryogenic temperatures.
2Stability of the object's composition
If closed environment with moisture-free gas infusion is used, then condensation is prevented, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the gem from the complex closed environment with gas infusion systems and places it on an open-ended cold finger apparatus. The cold finger is simply inserted into liquid nitrogen without requiring sealed chambers or moisture-free gas infusion mechanisms, thereby preventing condensation through direct thermal contact while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cold finger apparatus self-regulates temperature through direct thermal conduction from liquid nitrogen, eliminating the need for complex control systems, moisture-free gas infusion, or sealed environments. The system uses the inherent thermal properties of the cold finger material to maintain stable cryogenic temperatures without additional active components.
3Stability of the object's composition
If prolonged cooling time is used, then cooling thoroughness is improved, but production capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
A preliminary rapid cooling stage using direct liquid nitrogen immersion is performed first to quickly bring the gem to cryogenic temperatures. This preliminary action achieves sufficient cooling thoroughness in minutes rather than hours, allowing subsequent spectral analysis to proceed without prolonged cooling times and thereby increasing production capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling process is made dynamic by allowing quick transitions between cooling stages and analysis. The gem can be rapidly cooled, analyzed, and re-cooled for subsequent analyses multiple times, creating a dynamic workflow that maximizes throughput while ensuring thorough cooling before each spectral measurement.
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 rapid cooling of gems to cryogenic temperatures, reducing analysis time and improving spectral resolution and signal-to-noise ratio, while avoiding complex mechanisms and costly gas infusion, thus enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of gem spectral analysis.
Implementation Method 1
A two-stage cooling apparatus and method using a container with a high heat capacity cooling block
Implementation Method 2
a placement structure with high thermal conductivity, where the object is cooled in an open system with liquid coolant
Implementation Method 3
cooled in an open system with liquid coolant
Implementation Method 4
liquid phase coolant placed in the first coolant container
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling apparatus includes a container configured to contain a coolant within a space. The apparatus further includes a cooling block positioned substantially within the space and having a high heat capacity such that the space not occupied by the cooling block is filled with a coolant to a level at or below the top of the cooling block, and a placement structure having high thermal conductivity positioned on top of the cooling block and outside of the space. A method for cooling an object is also provided, which includes inserting a coolant into a container configured to contain the coolant within a space, and placing the object on a placement structure outside the space. For this method, the placement structure has a high thermal conductivity and is coupled to a cooling block, the cooling block having a high heat capacity and positioned substantially within the space. A two-stage cooling apparatus and method is also described.