JPH01250081A - Refrigerant supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To supply a refrigerant to a cryostat without using any liquid feed pump by reservoiring the refrigerant in a detachable cartridge, and coupling this cartridge and the cryostat by a liquid tube and a return gas tube. CONSTITUTION:When the cartridge 2 which contains the refrigerant 1 is fitted to a cartridge mount part 13, the refrigerant 1 vaporizes by the entry of heat from the cartridge mount part 13 in a room temperature state and the refrigerant 1 is supplied by its pressure to the cryostat 21 where a squid sensor 20 is mounted. The refrigerant 1 which reaches the cryostat 21 vaporizes by the entry of external heat and its gas is fed back to the position of the upper lid 5 of the cartridge 2 through a return gas tube 17. Then, the upper lid 5 is heated by this gas to accelerate the vaporization of the refrigerant 1 in the cartridge 2, thereby supplying a fresh refrigerant to the cryostat 21. Thus, the refrigerant is supplied from the cartridge to the cryostat by an amount corresponding to a heat load.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] A0 Purpose of the invention (1) Industrial application field The present invention is for supplying an extremely low temperature refrigerant to the sensor section of a Squillad magnetometer that is mounted on an aircraft or the like to perform magnetic exploration. The present invention relates to a refrigerant supply device.

(2) Conventional technology Optical magnetic resonance magnetometers have long been known as magnetometers for measuring geomagnetism, but this type of magnetometer does not have sufficient sensitivity for precise magnetic exploration. Therefore, even more sensitive Squillard magnetometers have come to be used to measure geomagnetism.

The SQUID sensor, which is the detection part of this SQUID magnetometer, is equipped with a superconducting ring having a Josephson junction formed from a superconducting material such as niobium (Nb) or namali (PB), and the superconducting ring is crossed. Changes in the external magnetic flux are detected by detecting transitions in the conduction state of the Josephson junction caused by changes in the magnetic flux.

By the way, in order to make niobium or Namari enter a superconducting state, it is necessary to lower their temperature to extremely low temperatures, and for this purpose it is necessary to cool the SQUID sensor using a cryogenic coolant such as liquid helium or liquid nitrogen. be. For these reasons, conventional SQUID magnetometers have a structure in which a SQUID sensor is immersed in a liquid reservoir filled with a refrigerant.

(3) Problems to be solved by the invention The above-mentioned SQUID sensor is usually mounted at the tail end of the aircraft in order to avoid the influence of magnetic noise emitted from the electronic equipment and engines mounted on the aircraft. . However, if the aforementioned liquid reservoir is attached to a small part such as the tail end of the aircraft, it will be difficult to replenish or extract the refrigerant, so the entire liquid reservoir containing the SQUID sensor must be removed from the aircraft. This was a major obstacle to the operation of the aircraft.

On the other hand, a method has also been proposed in which a liquid reservoir is installed in the cabin and refrigerant is supplied from the liquid reservoir to the SQUID sensor using a liquid pump. However, when using a liquid transfer pump, not only is there a problem with magnetic noise emitted from the drive electric motor, but also a complex process is required to ensure the amount of refrigerant transferred according to the heat load of the SQUID sensor. This had the problem of requiring pump control.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to enable refrigerant to be supplied to a SQUID sensor without using a liquid pump that causes magnetic noise, and to easily replenish and extract refrigerant. The technical challenge is to provide a refrigerant supply device that is capable of

B1 Structure of the Invention (1) Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the refrigerant supply device of the present invention includes:
A cartridge having an insulating container that stores a refrigerant therein, a top lid that closes the upper surface of the insulating container, a cartridge mounting part that removably supports the cartridge, one end of which is located in the refrigerant in the insulating container, and the other end of the cartridge. The cryostat is equipped with a liquid pipe that communicates with a cryostat equipped with a SQUID sensor, and a return gas pipe that introduces refrigerant gas in the Talaiostasoto from one end and discharges it from the other end to bring it into thermal contact with the upper lid. shall be.

The above-mentioned "bringing into thermal contact" means "bringing into a state where heat transfer can occur."

(2) Function In the refrigerant supply device of the present invention having the above-described configuration, when a cartridge containing refrigerant is attached to the cartridge mounting part, the refrigerant in the cartridge evaporates due to heat intrusion from the cartridge mounting part which is in a normal temperature state. At that pressure, the refrigerant is supplied through the liquid pipe to the cryostat equipped with the SQUID sensor. The refrigerant that reaches the cryostat evaporates due to heat entering from the outside, and the evaporated gas returns to the top cover of the cartridge through the return gas pipe. Then, the top lid that comes into contact with the refrigerant gas whose temperature has risen is heated to promote evaporation of the refrigerant in the cartridge, and as a result, new refrigerant is supplied to the cryostat.

In this way, the returning refrigerant gas transfers an amount of heat to the cartridge in accordance with the heat load on the cryostat, so that an amount of refrigerant in accordance with the heat load is supplied from the cartridge to the cryostat.

(3) Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment of the refrigerant supply bag according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cartridge 2 containing an extremely low temperature refrigerant such as liquid helium or liquid nitrogen is vacuum insulated with N3
The container 4 includes a cup-shaped heat insulating container 4 and a disc-shaped upper M5 that closes the upper opening of the cup-shaped heat-insulating container 4. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, a spiral groove 6 is formed on the upper surface of the upper nucleus M5, and one end of the spiral groove 6 is formed in a recess 7 formed in the center of the upper nucleus M5.
The other end is open to the side wall of the upper M5.

Further, a seal portion 9 having a liquid pipe insertion hole 8 in the center is formed at the lower end of the recess 7, and a metal O-ring 11 is mounted inside a groove IO carved in the upper surface of the seal portion 9.

Further, the upper lid 5 has a lever 1 with one end pivoted on the side wall.
2a, and a hook 1 pivoted at the intermediate part of this lever 12a.
A clamp 12 consisting of 2b is attached.

On the other hand, a disk-shaped cartridge mounting part 13 is fixed to a frame (not shown) fixed to the body, and a check valve 14 and a flange 15 are provided at the center of the cartridge mounting part 13.
One end portion of a transfer tube 19 having a triple structure consisting of a liquid pipe 16, a return gas pipe 17, and a sealed vacuum insulation pipe 18 is fixedly supported. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, when the upper M5 of the cartridge 2 is brought into contact with the cartridge mounting portion 13 and fixed together with the clamp 12, the liquid tube 16 is inserted into the cartridge 2 from the liquid tube insertion hole 8 of the upper M5. The liquid pipe 16 protrudes into the refrigerant l, and at the same time, the flange 15 of the liquid pipe 16 comes into close contact with the metal O-ring 11 of the seal portion 9, thereby cutting off communication between the refrigerant 1 and the outside air. Further, the return gas pipe 17 is connected to the recess 7 of the upper lid 5.
It opens inward and communicates with the outside air via a spiral groove 6 connected to the recess 7.

At the other end of the transfer tube 19, the liquid pipe 16 communicates with a taliostat 21 (see FIG. 1) having a SQUID sensor 2o installed therein, and the taliostat 21 has a through hole 22 formed at its upper end. It is connected to the return gas pipe 17 via. The vacuum insulated tube 18 expands at this portion to cover the front surface of the outer circumference of the taliostat 21, thereby preventing heat from penetrating into its interior.

Next, the operation of one embodiment of the refrigerant supply device according to the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described.

Before using the Schind magnetometer, the cartridge 2 containing the refrigerant 1 is brought into the machine, and as shown in FIG. It is brought into contact with the lower surface of the mounting part 13. Next, attach the hook 12b of the clamp 12 to the cartridge mounting part 1.
3 and pulls down the lever 12a, the cartridge 2 is fixed integrally to the cartridge mounting portion 13, as shown in FIG.

When the cartridge 2 is attached as described above, a space 23 sealed by the metal O-ring 11 and the flange 15 is formed in the upper part of the cartridge 2. Then, the refrigerant 1 partially evaporates by absorbing heat from the cartridge mounting portion 13 and the liquid pipe 16, which have been kept at room temperature, and the space 23 is filled with the refrigerant gas. Then,
The refrigerant 1 pushed out of the cartridge 2 by the pressure of this refrigerant gas passes through the check valve 14 of the liquid pipe 16, and further passes through the transfer tube 19 to the taliostat 21.
The SQUID sensor 2 is supplied to the
0 to an extremely low temperature where superconductivity occurs.

The outer periphery of the Taliostat 21 is surrounded by the return gas pipe 17 and the vacuum insulation pipe 18 to prevent heat from entering from the outside, but the refrigerant inside the cryostat 21 evaporates due to the slight amount of heat that enters, and the refrigerant Gas flows into the return gas pipe 17 through the through hole 22 . Then, this refrigerant gas passes through the return gas pipe 17 to the recess 7 of the upper lid 5.
, and from there it passes through the spiral groove 6 and is discharged to the outside air.

At this time, the temperature of the refrigerant gas is increased by the heat that enters from the wall of the vacuum insulated tube 18, so when this refrigerant gas passes through the spiral groove 6, the heat is transferred to the inside of the cartridge 2, and the refrigerant 1 promotes evaporation. Then, new refrigerant 1 is pushed out into the liquid pipe 16 by the pressure of the refrigerant gas generated by the evaporation of the refrigerant 1, and the cryostat 2
1. At this time, the amount of refrigerant 1 supplied to the cryostat 21 is proportional to the amount of heat transferred to the cartridge 2 by the refrigerant gas returning through the return gas pipe 17, that is, the amount of heat entering the cryostat 21. The amount of refrigerant 1 to be transferred commensurate with the temperature rise in the sensor 20 portion is automatically ensured.

After the measurement is completed, the cartridge 2 is removed from the cartridge mounting part 13 by releasing the clamp 12, and
It can be carried out of the aircraft. At this time, the cryostat 21 is stopped by the action of the check valve 14 attached to the tip of the liquid pipe 16.
Also, the refrigerant 1 remaining in the liquid pipe 16 is prevented from flowing out.

Although the embodiments of the refrigerant supply device according to the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and without departing from the scope of the present invention described in the claims.
Various minor design changes are possible.

For example, instead of forming a spiral groove on the top cover, this groove may be formed on the side of the cartridge mounting portion. Furthermore, instead of the spiral groove, it is possible to employ grooves of other suitable shapes. Furthermore, instead of using a clamp to connect the cartridge and the cartridge mounting part, screws or other fixing means can be used.

Effects of the C0 Invention According to the refrigerant supply device of the present invention described above, the refrigerant is stored in a removable cartridge, and the cartridge cartridge and the cryostat equipped with the SQUID sensor are connected by a liquid pipe and a return gas pipe. , No matter where the SQUID sensor is attached to the aircraft body, the cartridge can be installed in the cabin, and refrigerant can be replenished and extracted simply by attaching and detaching the cartridge.

In addition, the supply of refrigerant from the cartridge to the cryostat is automatically carried out by the heat transferred to the cartridge from the refrigerant gas returning through the return gas pipe, so there is no need for a special liquid pump, which reduces magnetic noise. No worries.

Furthermore, since the amount of refrigerant supplied to the cryostat is proportional to the magnitude of the heat load on the cryostat, it is possible to automatically supply an amount of refrigerant corresponding to the temperature rise of the SQUID sensor section due to heat intrusion.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS] Fig. 1 is an overall view of an embodiment of the refrigerant supply device according to the present invention, showing the state before the cartridge is installed, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cartridge, and Fig. 3 is the same state in which the cartridge is installed. FIG. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Refrigerant, 2...;Cartridge, 4...Insulated container, 5...Top lid, I6...Liquid pipe, I7...Return gas pipe, 20...Squid sensor, 21...・Thalaiostat Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] A cartridge having an insulating container that stores a refrigerant therein, a top lid that closes the upper surface of the insulating container, a cartridge mounting part that removably supports the cartridge, one end of which is located in the refrigerant in the insulating container, and the other end of the cartridge. A refrigerant supply device comprising a liquid pipe that communicates with a cryostat equipped with a SQUID sensor, and a return gas pipe that introduces refrigerant gas in the cryostat from one end and discharges it from the other end to bring it into thermal contact with the upper lid. .