CN114684799A - Equipment and method for exploiting lunar helium 3 - Google Patents
Equipment and method for exploiting lunar helium 3 Download PDFInfo
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- CN114684799A CN114684799A CN202011622727.5A CN202011622727A CN114684799A CN 114684799 A CN114684799 A CN 114684799A CN 202011622727 A CN202011622727 A CN 202011622727A CN 114684799 A CN114684799 A CN 114684799A
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- C01B23/00—Noble gases; Compounds thereof
- C01B23/001—Purification or separation processes of noble gases
- C01B23/0036—Physical processing only
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
- F25J3/00—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification
- F25J3/06—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation
- F25J3/063—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation characterised by the separated product stream
- F25J3/0685—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation characterised by the separated product stream separation of noble gases
- F25J3/069—Processes or apparatus for separating the constituents of gaseous or liquefied gaseous mixtures involving the use of liquefaction or solidification by partial condensation characterised by the separated product stream separation of noble gases of helium
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
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- C01B2210/0053—Hydrogen
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25J—LIQUEFACTION, SOLIDIFICATION OR SEPARATION OF GASES OR GASEOUS OR LIQUEFIED GASEOUS MIXTURES BY PRESSURE AND COLD TREATMENT OR BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE SUPERCRITICAL STATE
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Abstract
According to the equipment and the method for exploiting the moon helium 3, the degassing unit is used for heating and degassing ores which are extracted from the moon and rich in the helium 3, and the separated gas enters the low-temperature condensation separation unit; the separated gas enters a condensation chamber through the inlet to condense the impurity gas mainly containing hydrogen, and the impurity gas is discharged by a first liquid discharge pump through a first capillary tube to obtain a mixed gas of helium 3 and helium 4, wherein the mixed gas enters a liquid inlet through a gas outlet; the mixed gas enters the separation chamber from the liquid inlet, the mixed gas is pre-cooled to be in a liquid state in the separation chamber to form a liquid mixture, the heat insulation demagnetization refrigerator cools the liquid mixture to be lower than 2.1K, then the liquid helium 4 in a super-flow state is discharged by the liquid discharge pump through the second capillary tube, the liquid helium 3 with high purity is obtained, the liquid helium 3 enters the storage and transportation unit from the liquid outlet for storage, and the extraction equipment and the extraction method can be used for extracting the lunar helium 3 so as to meet the industrial demand on the helium 3.
Description
Technical Field
The invention relates to the technical field of helium 3 gas purification, in particular to a moon helium 3 mining device.
Background
Helium 3 is one of two stable isotopes of helium in nature, and the stock is very small, and the abundance of helium 3 on earth is only 0.000137%. The helium 3 is mainly used in the fields of clean nuclear fusion raw materials, extremely low-temperature refrigeration working media or heat transfer media, particle detection and the like. Helium 3 used at present mainly comes from the decay of tritium in the nuclear industry, and the yield is extremely limited and far from meeting the demand.
The moon contains abundant helium 3 resources, the storage capacity of which is estimated to be 100 ten thousand tons, and the helium can be used by all human beings for 1 ten thousand years at the current energy consumption level. Therefore, the helium 3 purification, storage and transportation equipment which is efficient, compact, convenient and low in cost and can operate in a lunar environment is the key for developing lunar resources and guaranteeing the sustainable development of the earth.
In the helium 3 purification method used at present, because the impurities contained are mainly oxygen, nitrogen, water and hydrogen, the separation is usually carried out by adopting adsorption beds (CN106800281B and CN106629640B), namely, the impurity gas is adsorbed by sequentially passing through a series of adsorption beds. This method requires more adsorbent material and the adsorbent needs to be replaced or regenerated. Transporting these adsorbents to the moon requires significant costs and is almost zero in feasibility.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the above, it is necessary to provide a device for exploiting lunar helium 3 to meet the industrial demand for helium 3.
In order to solve the problems, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:
the invention provides a production device for lunar helium 3, which comprises a degassing unit, a low-temperature condensation separation unit, an overflow helium separation unit and a storage and transportation unit; the low-temperature condensation separation unit comprises a condensation chamber, an air inlet and an air outlet which are arranged at two ends of the condensation chamber, a cold head arranged at the side edge of the condensation chamber, a first capillary tube which penetrates through the cold head and is communicated with the condensation chamber, and a first liquid drainage pump arranged on the capillary tube; the super-flow helium separation unit comprises a separation chamber, a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet which are arranged at two ends of the separation chamber, a cold head of a heat-insulation demagnetization refrigerator arranged at the side edge of the separation chamber, a superfine capillary hole connected with the cold head of the heat-insulation demagnetization refrigerator, a second capillary tube connected with the superfine capillary hole, and a second liquid discharge pump arranged on the second capillary tube; wherein:
the degassing unit is used for heating and degassing ores which are extracted from the moon and rich in helium 3, and the separated gas enters the low-temperature condensation separation unit;
the separated gas enters the condensation chamber through the inlet to condense the impurity gas mainly containing hydrogen, and the impurity gas is discharged by the first liquid discharge pump through the first capillary to obtain a mixed gas of helium 3 and helium 4, wherein the mixed gas enters the liquid inlet through the gas outlet;
the mixed gas enters the separation chamber from the liquid inlet, the mixed gas is pre-cooled to be in a liquid state in the separation chamber to form a liquid mixture, the heat insulation demagnetization refrigerator cools the liquid mixture to be lower than 2.1K, and then the liquid helium 4 in a super-flow state is discharged by the liquid discharge pump through the superfine capillary hole and the second capillary tube to obtain liquid helium 3 with high purity, and the liquid helium 3 enters the storage and transportation unit from the liquid outlet to be stored.
In some of these embodiments, the source of heat for heating the degassing is from solar energy.
In some embodiments, the low-temperature condensation separation unit further comprises a radiation heat exchanger, and the separated gas is cooled by the radiation heat exchanger and then enters the condensation chamber through the inlet.
In some embodiments, the low-temperature condensation separation unit further includes a mechanical refrigerator disposed in the condensation chamber, and the mechanical refrigerator can cool the gas inside to condense the impurity gas mainly containing hydrogen.
In some of these embodiments, the mechanical refrigerator is a stirling refrigerator or a pulse tube refrigerator or a throttle refrigerator.
In some embodiments, the super-flow helium separation unit further comprises a mechanical refrigerator, the mechanical refrigerator precools the mixed gas entering from the liquid inlet to a liquid state, and the mechanical refrigerator is further connected with the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator and provides precooling for the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator.
In some of these embodiments, the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator includes a superconducting magnet, a magnetic refrigeration working medium, a thermal switch, a heat sink, and a cold head, the thermal switch including a first thermal switch between the magnetic refrigeration working medium and the heat sink and a second thermal switch between the magnetic refrigeration working medium and the cold head; wherein:
the superconducting magnet is used for providing a controllable magnetic field;
the magnetic refrigeration working medium is a cold energy source of the system, and when a magnetic field is applied to the magnetic refrigeration working medium, heat is released to the outside; when the magnetic field is removed, heat is absorbed from the outside, and then cooling and refrigeration are carried out;
the heat sink is used for absorbing high-temperature heat released during magnetization;
the first thermal switch is switched on during magnetization and switched off during demagnetization; the second thermal switch is switched on during demagnetization and switched off during magnetization;
the cold head is used for transmitting cold.
In some of these embodiments, the storage and transportation unit may maintain the liquid helium 3 below 3.32K so that it is always in the liquid state.
In addition, the invention also provides a mining method of the mining equipment for the lunar helium 3, which comprises the following steps:
the degassing unit is used for heating and degassing ores which are extracted from the moon and rich in helium 3, and the separated gas enters the low-temperature condensation separation unit;
the separated gas enters the condensation chamber through the inlet to condense the impurity gas mainly comprising hydrogen, and the impurity gas is discharged by the first liquid discharge pump through the first capillary to obtain a mixed gas of helium 3 and helium 4, wherein the mixed gas enters the inlet through the gas outlet;
the mixed gas enters the separation chamber from the liquid inlet, the mixed gas is pre-cooled to be in a liquid state in the separation chamber to form a liquid mixture, the heat insulation demagnetization refrigerator cools the liquid mixture to be lower than 2.1K, and then the liquid helium 4 in a super-fluid state is discharged by the liquid discharge pump through the superfine capillary hole and the second capillary tube to obtain liquid helium 3 with high purity, and the liquid helium 3 enters the storage and transportation unit from the liquid outlet to be stored. By adopting the technical scheme, the invention has the following technical effects:
according to the equipment and the method for exploiting the moon helium 3, the degassing unit is used for heating and degassing ores which are extracted from the moon and rich in the helium 3, and the separated gas enters the low-temperature condensation separation unit; the separated gas enters the condensation chamber through the inlet to condense the impurity gas mainly comprising hydrogen, and the impurity gas is discharged by the first liquid discharge pump through the first capillary to obtain a mixed gas of helium 3 and helium 4, wherein the mixed gas enters the inlet through the gas outlet; the mixed gas enters the separation chamber from the liquid inlet, the mixed gas is pre-cooled to a liquid state in the separation chamber to form a liquid mixture, the heat insulation demagnetization refrigerator cools the liquid mixture to be lower than 2.1K, and then the liquid discharge pump discharges the superfluid helium 4 through the second capillary tube to obtain the liquid helium 3 with higher purity, and the liquid helium 3 enters the storage and transportation unit from the liquid outlet for storage. The helium gas and the liquid impurities, the helium 3 and the helium 4 are respectively separated by the capillary, so that the dependence on gravity can be eliminated, and the system can be ensured to operate under the condition of no gravity; the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator is adopted to provide the temperature below 2.1K, and compared with other refrigerating modes (dilution refrigeration, adsorption refrigeration and J-T throttling) of the temperature zone, the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator has the advantages of compactness, high efficiency and operation independent of gravity; compared with the mode of storing and transporting liquid helium 3 in a gas state or a high-pressure liquid state, the mode of storing and transporting liquid helium at low temperature and normal pressure has the advantages of small volume, high safety and difficult air leakage.
Drawings
In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the present invention or in the description of the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts.
FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cryogenic condensation separation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an over-flow helium separation unit provided in the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a production facility for lunar helium 3 provided by an embodiment of the present invention;
fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a cryogenic adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Detailed Description
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar function throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative and intended to be illustrative of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.
In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", and the like, indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, are only for convenience in describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed in a specific orientation, and be operated, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention.
Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically defined otherwise.
In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the present invention is described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.
The equipment for extracting moon helium 3 provided by the embodiment of the invention comprises a degassing unit, a low-temperature condensation separation unit 110, an overflow helium separation unit 120 and a storage and transportation unit. The connection relationship between the respective components is described in detail below.
The degassing unit performs heating and degassing treatment on the ore rich in helium 3 extracted from the moon, and the separated gas enters the low-temperature condensation separation unit 110.
It will be appreciated that the mined ore rich in helium 3 is subjected to a heating degassing process using the vacuum of the moon itself and the high temperature environment of the day (the temperature of the moon during the day is about 400K), the heating source being from solar energy.
Referring to fig. 1, a schematic structural diagram of the low-temperature condensation separation unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a condensation chamber 111, an air inlet 112 and an air outlet 113 disposed at two ends of the condensation chamber 111, a cold head 114 disposed at a side of the condensation chamber 111, a first capillary 115 passing through the cold head 114 and communicating with the condensation chamber 111, and a first liquid discharge pump 116 disposed on the first capillary 115.
Referring to fig. 2, a schematic structural diagram of the super-flow helium separation unit 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a separation chamber 121, a liquid inlet 122 and a liquid outlet 123 disposed at two ends of the separation chamber 121, a cold head 124 of an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator disposed at a side of the separation chamber 121, the ultrafine capillary 125 and a second capillary 126 connected to the cold head 124 of the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator, and a second liquid discharge pump 127 disposed on the second capillary 125.
Referring to fig. 3, a schematic diagram of a mining apparatus for lunar helium 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided, which works as follows:
first, the degassing unit performs a heating degassing process on the ore rich in helium 3 extracted in the moon, and the separated gas enters the cryocondensation separation unit 110.
It will be appreciated that helium is the lowest boiling substance, with helium 4 having a boiling point of 4.21K (Kelvin temperature), helium 3 of 3.19K and hydrogen of 20K at 100 kPa. In the vacuum environment of the moon, helium 3 is adsorbed in the titanium ore in the form of gas. During the helium 3 exploitation and enrichment, the exploited helium 3-enriched ore is subjected to a heating degassing treatment, and the separated gas enters the low-temperature condensation separation unit 120.
Further, the heating source may be from solar energy, using the vacuum of the moon itself and the high temperature environment during the day (the temperature of the moon during the day is about 400K).
The separated gas then enters the condensation chamber 111 through the inlet port 112, so that the impurity gas mainly containing hydrogen is condensed and discharged from the first liquid discharge pump 116 through the first capillary 115, and the resulting mixture of helium 3 and helium 4 enters the liquid inlet port 122 through the gas outlet port 113.
In some embodiments, the cryocondensation separation unit 110 further comprises a radiant heat exchanger (not shown), through which the separated gas is warmed and then enters the condensation chamber through the inlet.
It can be understood that the mixed gas is cooled through the radiation heat exchanger by using the low temperature of the moon at night (the temperature of the moon at night is about 100K) and the universe background temperature, and the energy is effectively utilized.
In some embodiments, the low-temperature condensation separation unit 110 further includes a mechanical refrigerator disposed in the condensation chamber, and the mechanical refrigerator can cool the gas inside to condense the impurity gas mainly containing hydrogen.
In some of these embodiments, the mechanical refrigerator is a stirling refrigerator or a pulse tube refrigerator or a throttle refrigerator.
It can be understood that the refrigeration by the radiation heat exchanger and the mechanical refrigerator are combined to provide the refrigeration capacity below 33.2K, and the mixed gas is subjected to low-temperature condensation separation.
It will be appreciated that by separating helium and other impurities through the cryocondensation unit 110 described above, the use of large amounts of adsorbents can be avoided, thereby greatly reducing the cost of purifying helium at the moon.
And the mixed gas enters the separation chamber 121 from the liquid inlet 122, the mixed gas is pre-cooled to be in a liquid state in the separation chamber 121 to form a liquid mixture, the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator 124 cools the liquid mixture to be lower than 2.1K, and the liquid discharge pump discharges the helium 4 in a super-fluid state through the superfine capillary 125 and the second capillary 126 to obtain the liquid helium 3 with high purity, and the liquid helium 3 enters the storage and transportation unit from the liquid outlet 123 for storage.
In some embodiments, the over-flow helium separation unit 120 further comprises a mechanical refrigerator (not shown) for pre-cooling the mixed gas entering from the liquid inlet 122 to a liquid state, and the mechanical refrigerator is further connected to the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator 124 and provides pre-cooling for the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator 124.
It will be appreciated that the helium mixture is pre-cooled to a liquid state (refrigeration temperature about 4K) by a mechanical refrigerator and that pre-cooling 124 is provided for an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator. The liquid mixture is cooled to be lower than 2.1K through the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator, and compared with other refrigerating modes (dilution refrigeration, adsorption refrigeration and J-T throttling) of the temperature zone, the method has the advantages of compactness, high efficiency and operation independent of gravity.
It can be understood that the helium 4 can pass through the extremely fine pores after the temperature is lower than 2.1K, and the helium 3 can be in a normal state above 2.5mK and can not pass through the extremely fine pores, so that the ultra fine capillary is designed to separate the helium 4 in the ultra-fine flow state, and the helium 4 can be separated out in the gravity-free environment; according to the invention, the capillary or other capillary equipment is adopted to separate liquid impurities from helium gas and helium gas 3 and helium gas 4 respectively in a gravity-free environment, so that the dependence on gravity can be eliminated, and the system can be ensured to operate under the gravity-free condition.
Referring to fig. 4, a schematic structural diagram of the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a superconducting magnet 131, a magnetic refrigeration working medium 132, a thermal switch 133 of the superconducting magnet 131, a heat sink 134, and a cold head 135. The thermal switch 133 comprises a first thermal switch positioned between the magnetic refrigeration working medium and the heat sink and a second thermal switch positioned between the magnetic refrigeration working medium and the cold head; wherein:
the superconducting magnet 131 is used for providing a controllable magnetic field; the magnetic refrigeration working medium 132 is a cold source of the system, and releases heat to the outside when a magnetic field is applied to the magnetic refrigeration working medium; when the magnetic field is removed, heat is absorbed from the outside, and then cooling and refrigeration are carried out; the heat sink 134 is used for absorbing high-temperature heat released during magnetization; the first thermal switch is in a conducting state during magnetization and in a cutting-off state during demagnetization; the second thermal switch is in a conducting state during demagnetization and in a cutting-off state during magnetization; the cold head 135 is used to transfer cold.
It can be understood that the heat insulation demagnetization refrigerator can provide the temperature below 2.1K, and compared with other refrigeration modes (dilution refrigeration, adsorption refrigeration and J-T throttling) in the temperature region, the heat insulation demagnetization refrigerator has the advantages of compactness, high efficiency and operation independent of gravity.
In some of these embodiments, the storage and transportation unit may maintain the liquid helium 3 below 3.32K so that it is always in the liquid state, which may be provided by reduced pressure evaporation of liquid helium 4, or by a mechanical refrigerator.
It can be understood that the mode of storing and transporting liquid helium 3 at low temperature and normal pressure has the advantages of small volume, high safety and difficult air leakage compared with the mode of storing and transporting liquid helium at gas state or high pressure, and the method can store and transport helium 3 at lower pressure (about 100kPa) and avoid the safety risk and leakage problem brought by a high-pressure container.
In addition, the invention also provides a mining method of the mining equipment for the lunar helium 3, which comprises the following steps:
step S110: the degassing unit is used for heating and degassing ores which are extracted from the moon and rich in helium 3, and the separated gas enters the low-temperature condensation separation unit;
step S120: the separated gas enters the condensation chamber through the inlet to condense the impurity gas mainly comprising hydrogen, and the impurity gas is discharged by the first liquid discharge pump through the first capillary to obtain a mixed gas of helium 3 and helium 4, wherein the mixed gas enters the inlet through the gas outlet;
step S130: the mixed gas enters the separation chamber from the liquid inlet, the mixed gas is pre-cooled to be in a liquid state in the separation chamber to form a liquid mixture, the heat insulation demagnetization refrigerator cools the liquid mixture to be lower than 2.1K, and then the liquid helium 4 in a super-flow state is discharged by the liquid discharge pump through the superfine capillary holes and the second capillary tube to obtain liquid helium 3 with high purity, and the liquid helium 3 enters the storage and transportation unit from the liquid outlet to be stored. The detailed working mode can be referred to the description of the above device, and is not described herein.
According to the equipment and the method for exploiting the moon helium 3, the degassing unit is used for heating and degassing ores which are extracted from the moon and rich in the helium 3, and the separated gas enters the low-temperature condensation separation unit; the separated gas enters the condensation chamber through the inlet to condense the impurity gas mainly comprising hydrogen, and the impurity gas is discharged by the first liquid discharge pump through the first capillary to obtain a mixed gas of helium 3 and helium 4, wherein the mixed gas enters the inlet through the gas outlet; the mixed gas enters the separation chamber from the liquid inlet, the mixed gas is pre-cooled to a liquid state in the separation chamber to form a liquid mixture, the heat insulation demagnetization refrigerator cools the liquid mixture to be lower than 2.1K, and then the liquid discharge pump discharges the helium 4 in a super-flow state through the second capillary tube to obtain the liquid helium 3 with higher purity, and the liquid helium 3 enters the storage and transportation unit from the liquid outlet for storage; the helium gas and the liquid impurities, the helium 3 and the helium 4 are respectively separated by the capillary, so that the dependence on gravity can be eliminated, and the system can be ensured to operate under the condition of no gravity; the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator is adopted to provide the temperature below 2.1K, and compared with other refrigerating modes (dilution refrigeration, adsorption refrigeration and J-T throttling) of the temperature zone, the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator has the advantages of compactness, high efficiency and operation independent of gravity; compared with the mode of storing and transporting liquid helium 3 in gas or high pressure liquid state, the mode of storing and transporting liquid helium 3 in low temperature and normal pressure has the advantages of small volume, high safety and difficult air leakage.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the preferred embodiments of the invention, and is presented merely for purposes of illustration and description of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Any modifications, equivalents and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the invention and other embodiments of the invention without the creative effort of those skilled in the art are included in the protection scope of the invention based on the explanation here.
Claims (9)
1. The equipment for exploiting the moon helium 3 is characterized by comprising a degassing unit, a low-temperature condensation separation unit, an overflow helium separation unit and a storage and transportation unit; the low-temperature condensation separation unit comprises a condensation chamber, an air inlet and an air outlet which are arranged at two ends of the condensation chamber, a cold head arranged at the side edge of the condensation chamber, a first capillary tube which penetrates through the cold head and is communicated with the condensation chamber, and a first liquid discharge pump arranged on the first capillary tube; the super-flow helium separation unit comprises a separation chamber, a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet which are arranged at two ends of the separation chamber, a cold head of a heat-insulation demagnetization refrigerator arranged at the side edge of the separation chamber, a superfine capillary hole connected with the cold head of the heat-insulation demagnetization refrigerator, a second capillary tube connected with the superfine capillary hole, and a second liquid discharge pump arranged on the second capillary tube; wherein:
the degassing unit is used for heating and degassing ores which are extracted from the moon and rich in helium 3, and the separated gas enters the low-temperature condensation separation unit;
the separated gas enters the condensation chamber through the inlet to condense the impurity gas mainly comprising hydrogen, and the impurity gas is discharged by the first liquid discharge pump through the first capillary to obtain a mixed gas of helium 3 and helium 4, wherein the mixed gas enters the inlet through the gas outlet;
the mixed gas enters the separation chamber from the liquid inlet, the mixed gas is pre-cooled to be in a liquid state in the separation chamber to form a liquid mixture, the heat insulation demagnetization refrigerator cools the liquid mixture to be lower than 2.1K, and then the liquid helium 4 in a super-flow state is discharged by the liquid discharge pump through the superfine capillary holes and the second capillary tube to obtain liquid helium 3 with high purity, and the liquid helium 3 enters the storage and transportation unit from the liquid outlet to be stored.
2. A production facility for lunar helium 3 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat source for heating the degassing is from solar energy.
3. A mining apparatus for lunar helium 3 as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cryocondensation separation unit further comprises a radiant heat exchanger through which the disengaged gas is warmed before entering said condensation chamber through said inlet port.
4. A mining apparatus for lunar helium 3 as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cryocondensation separation unit further comprises a mechanical refrigerator disposed in the condensation chamber, the mechanical refrigerator cooling the gas therein to condense the impurity gas mainly comprising hydrogen.
5. A mining apparatus for lunar helium 3 as claimed in claim 4, wherein said mechanical refrigerator is a Stirling refrigerator or pulse tube refrigerator or throttle refrigerator.
6. The mining apparatus for lunar helium 3 as claimed in claim 1, wherein the super flow helium separation unit further comprises a mechanical refrigerator, the mechanical refrigerator pre-cools the mixed gas entering from the liquid inlet to a liquid state, the mechanical refrigerator is further connected to the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator and provides pre-cooling for the adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator.
7. The mining apparatus for lunar helium 3 as described in claim 6, wherein said adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator comprises a superconducting magnet, a magnetic refrigeration medium, a heat sink, a thermal switch and a cold head, said thermal switch comprising a first thermal switch between said magnetic refrigeration medium and said heat sink and a second thermal switch between said magnetic refrigeration medium and said cold head; wherein:
the superconducting magnet is used for providing a controllable magnetic field; the magnetic refrigeration working medium is a cold energy source of the system, and when a magnetic field is applied to the magnetic refrigeration working medium, heat is released to the outside; when the magnetic field is removed, heat is absorbed from the outside, and then cooling and refrigeration are carried out; the heat sink is used for absorbing high-temperature heat released during magnetization; the first thermal switch is in a conducting state during magnetization and in a cutting-off state during demagnetization; the second thermal switch is in a conducting state during demagnetization and is in a cut-off state during magnetization; the cold head is used for transmitting cold.
8. The mining apparatus for lunar helium 3 as claimed in claim 7, wherein said storage and transportation unit can maintain said liquid helium 3 below 3.32K so that it is always in liquid state.
9. A production method of a production apparatus for lunar helium 3 as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising the steps of:
the degassing unit is used for heating and degassing ores which are extracted from the moon and rich in helium 3, and the separated gas enters the low-temperature condensation separation unit;
the separated gas enters the condensation chamber through the inlet to condense the impurity gas mainly comprising hydrogen, and the impurity gas is discharged by the first liquid discharge pump through the first capillary to obtain a mixed gas of helium 3 and helium 4, wherein the mixed gas enters the inlet through the gas outlet;
the mixed gas enters the separation chamber from the liquid inlet, the mixed gas is pre-cooled to be in a liquid state in the separation chamber to form a liquid mixture, the heat insulation demagnetization refrigerator cools the liquid mixture to be lower than 2.1K, and then the liquid helium 4 in a super-flow state is discharged by the liquid discharge pump through the superfine capillary holes and the second capillary tube to obtain liquid helium 3 with high purity, and the liquid helium 3 enters the storage and transportation unit from the liquid outlet to be stored.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202011622727.5A CN114684799B (en) | 2020-12-30 | 2020-12-30 | Mining equipment and mining method for lunar helium 3 |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
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| JP2002124410A (en) * | 2000-10-17 | 2002-04-26 | Japan Magnet Technol Kk | Cooling system for superconducting magnet device |
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