US3704598A - Cryogenic cooling apparatus - Google Patents

Cryogenic cooling apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US3704598A
US3704598A US21601A US3704598DA US3704598A US 3704598 A US3704598 A US 3704598A US 21601 A US21601 A US 21601A US 3704598D A US3704598D A US 3704598DA US 3704598 A US3704598 A US 3704598A
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United States
Prior art keywords
bellows
valve
heat exchanger
refrigerant
pressure
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US21601A
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English (en)
Inventor
David Neil Campbell
Frank Arnold Turton
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Hymatic Engineering Co Ltd
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Hymatic Engineering Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
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Classifications

    • 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
    • F25J1/00—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures
    • F25J1/02—Processes or apparatus for liquefying or solidifying gases or gaseous mixtures requiring the use of refrigeration, e.g. of helium or hydrogen ; Details and kind of the refrigeration system used; Integration with other units or processes; Controlling aspects of the process
    • F25J1/0243—Start-up or control of the process; Details of the apparatus used; Details of the refrigerant compression system used
    • F25J1/0257—Construction and layout of liquefaction equipments, e.g. valves, machines
    • F25J1/0275—Construction and layout of liquefaction equipments, e.g. valves, machines adapted for special use of the liquefaction unit, e.g. portable or transportable devices
    • F25J1/0276—Laboratory or other miniature devices
    • 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
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B9/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point
    • F25B9/02—Compression machines, plants or systems, in which the refrigerant is air or other gas of low boiling point using Joule-Thompson effect; using vortex effect
    • 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
    • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
    • F25B2309/00—Gas cycle refrigeration machines
    • F25B2309/02—Gas cycle refrigeration machines using the Joule-Thompson effect
    • F25B2309/022—Gas cycle refrigeration machines using the Joule-Thompson effect characterised by the expansion element
    • 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
    • F25J2290/00—Other details not covered by groups F25J2200/00 - F25J2280/00
    • F25J2290/42—Modularity, pre-fabrication of modules, assembling and erection, horizontal layout, i.e. plot plan, and vertical arrangement of parts of the cryogenic unit, e.g. of the cold box

Definitions

  • the valve is situated outside the heat exchanger beyond its cold end and the bellows is outside the heat exchanger beyond its warm end, and is connected to the valve by a piston rod extending through the heat exchanger.
  • cryogenic cooling apparatus including a generally tubular heat exchanger affording two paths through one of which refrigerant from a supply under pressure is supplied to a pressure reducing nozzle, whereupon the low pressure refrigerant returns through the other path, and a valve member cooperating with the nozzle to vary its effective area for automatically controlling the flow of refrigerant, and a movable wall, for example of a bellows, connected to the valve to actuate it.
  • the invention is concerned with the provision of a particularly compact and slender apparatus.
  • the valve is outside the heat exchanger beyond its cold end and the movable wall is outside the heat exchanger beyond its warm end, and is connected to' the valve by a piston rod extending through the heat exchanger.
  • the cooling apparatus may otherwise be generally as described in US. Pat. No. 3,517,525.
  • FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation of a coding apparatus working on the Joule Thomson principle
  • FIG. 2 is a sectional under plan view.
  • the cooling apparatus as in the U.S. Patent referred to above, is of elongated form, and it will be described in the position in which it would normally be used with its axis vertical and its cold end at the bottom.
  • the apparatus includes a tubular heat exchanger comprising an inner tubular body around which is helically wound a finned inlet tube 11 forming the inlet path of the heat exchanger.
  • the lower end of the Dewar flask is closed to provide within it a reservoir in which the liquid working fluid can accummulate.
  • a load to be cooled such as an infra-red radiation detector 15, is formed on or secured to the outer face of the inner wall 12 of the Dewar flask.
  • an upper body 16 Secured to the end of the tubular body 10 is an upper body 16 the lower part of which affords a bellows chamber 17 and the upper part affords an inlet coupling 18.
  • the upper end of the helical finned tube 11 communicates with the interior of the upper part of the upper body 16 to which gaseous refrigerant, such as nitrogen under pressure, is supplied at a temperature below its inversion temperature.
  • the inner tubular body carries a seating member 20 in the form of a generally cylindrical hollow body 26 having at its upper end a crescent section plug 21 projecting from it eccentrically into the lower end of the tubular body 10 to which it is secured as by welding.
  • the lower end of the finned tube 11 entcrs the seating member through one side and the latter contains a filter 22 through which the gas passes from the inlet tube 11 to an expansion orifice 25 formed in the bottom of the seating member 20.
  • the effective area of the expansion orifice is arranged to be controlled by means of a needle valve 30 which is itself controlled by a bellows 31, situated within the bellows chamber 17 referred to above, through a depending part-tubular or C-section member 32 that will be referred to as a piston rod.
  • a needle valve 30 which is itself controlled by a bellows 31, situated within the bellows chamber 17 referred to above, through a depending part-tubular or C-section member 32 that will be referred to as a piston rod.
  • Welded to the lower end of the piston rod, near one edge, is the upper end of a straight rod 33 which in turn is welded at its lower end to a hooked rod 34, of which the lower end passes through and is welded to a block 35 into which the valve member 30 is adjustably screwed.
  • the upper end of the hooked rod 34 projects laterally into a slot formed in the lug 21 of the seating member so as to form a stop to limit downward movement of the valve and the needle valve 30 itself is adjusted so that in this lowermost position it just projects into the orifice 25 so as to center itself as it is raised to close the expansion nozzle.
  • a sensor tube 40 of which the lower end forms a sensor, extends the whole length of the heat exchanger within its inner tubular body alongside the hollow piston rod. At its upper end it passes through the bottom member of the bellows chamber 16 so that its interior communicates with the space round the bellows.
  • the sensor tube extends down past the valve and has its lower end portion squashed flat to form an extended heat conducting tail 41.
  • the sensor tube, and the space outside the bellows inside the bellows chamber, are filled with liquid and vapor in equilibrium of a suitable material, which may or may not be the same as the refrigerant.
  • the seating member 20 also carries, secured to it as by welding, a cylindrical shield surrounding the valve so that refrigerant issuing from the expansion nozzle cannot impinge directly on the sensor tube 40.
  • valve is actuated by a bellows situated within the heat exchanger (as in the US. Patent referred to above) it may be practicable to reduce the external diameter of the heat exchanger, that is to say the internal diameter of the Dewar flask, to about 7% millimeters, but for certain applications this is still excessive, and a diameter of some 5 millimeters is required.
  • the bellows instead of being inside the heat exchanger, is located co-axially with it beyond its warm end, and can be of considerably greater diameter than the heat exchanger.
  • Means are provided for damping oscillations of the valve.
  • the piston rod carries a chamber 50 secured within it as by welding and substantially filled with a loose particulate material '51 such as small phosphor bronze balls or tungsten carbide powder.
  • the cavity is filled as full as possible so as to obtain the maximum possible mass, but so that the filling is not'packed but is free to move of its own accord.
  • any oscillation should tend to occur the particulate mass can vibrate within the cavity out of phase with the hollow piston rod and thus damp out vibration.
  • damping means employs space that would otherwise not be required and so adds nothing to the bulk of the apparatus.
  • the sensor tube 40 may be filled with any convenient volatile liquid in equilibrium with its vapor.
  • any convenient volatile liquid in equilibrium with its vapor Preferably however, in accordance with the invention set forth in the present applicants co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 21,603, filed Mar. 23, 1970.
  • the bellows is designed and placed so that when the 7 pressure is the same inside and outside it contracts enough to open the valve to give a fail-open effect.
  • a material is then chosen to fill the bellows chamber which has a subatmospheric vapor pressure in the prevailing temperature range, which in the case of nitrogen as the refrigerant, might be about 85 to 110 K.
  • a suitable sensor material would be methane.
  • the pressure outside the bellows in the bellows chamber will be lower than the pressure in the remainder of the apparatus and hence inside the bellows, the valve being adjusted so that the resilience of the bellows tends to open it.
  • any leakage should occur and destroy the suction round the outside of the bellows the valve will fail open and cooling will continue. In other words in the event of such a failure the cooler will continue to function, although naturally the supply of refrigerant will be exhausted more rapidly than if it were functioning correctly.
  • the size of the bellows is not limited to that of the Dewar flask, a point of particular importance where the valve is operated by suction.
  • pressure reducing valve means mounted within said housing for regulating the flow of a refrigerant to said cooling chamber
  • said heat exchanger including a first path for conveying said refrigerant to said valve means from a supply source and a second path for conveying refrigerant under reduced pressure, and
  • said pressure regulating means includes a chamber anda bellows mounted therein, and said connecting means is a mechanical linkage mounted to said bellows and said valve means.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Thermal Sciences (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Clinical Laboratory Science (AREA)
US21601A 1969-03-25 1970-03-23 Cryogenic cooling apparatus Expired - Lifetime US3704598A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1560669 1969-03-25
GB1918169 1969-04-15

Publications (1)

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US3704598A true US3704598A (en) 1972-12-05

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US21601A Expired - Lifetime US3704598A (en) 1969-03-25 1970-03-23 Cryogenic cooling apparatus

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US (1) US3704598A (xx)
DE (1) DE2014461A1 (xx)
FR (1) FR2039955A5 (xx)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3818720A (en) * 1973-09-06 1974-06-25 Hymatic Eng Co Ltd Cryogenic cooling apparatus
US3827252A (en) * 1972-03-23 1974-08-06 Air Liquide Method of regulation of the frigorific power of a joule-thomson refrigerator and a refrigerator utilizing said method
US4373357A (en) * 1980-10-10 1983-02-15 The Hymatic Engineering Company Limited Cryogenic cooling apparatus

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2645256B1 (fr) * 1989-03-15 1994-12-23 Air Liquide Refroidisseur joule-thomson a deux debits

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3320755A (en) * 1965-11-08 1967-05-23 Air Prod & Chem Cryogenic refrigeration system
US3457730A (en) * 1967-10-02 1969-07-29 Hughes Aircraft Co Throttling valve employing the joule-thomson effect
US3517525A (en) * 1967-06-28 1970-06-30 Hymatic Eng Co Ltd Cooling apparatus employing the joule-thomson effect

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3320755A (en) * 1965-11-08 1967-05-23 Air Prod & Chem Cryogenic refrigeration system
US3517525A (en) * 1967-06-28 1970-06-30 Hymatic Eng Co Ltd Cooling apparatus employing the joule-thomson effect
US3457730A (en) * 1967-10-02 1969-07-29 Hughes Aircraft Co Throttling valve employing the joule-thomson effect

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3827252A (en) * 1972-03-23 1974-08-06 Air Liquide Method of regulation of the frigorific power of a joule-thomson refrigerator and a refrigerator utilizing said method
US3818720A (en) * 1973-09-06 1974-06-25 Hymatic Eng Co Ltd Cryogenic cooling apparatus
US4373357A (en) * 1980-10-10 1983-02-15 The Hymatic Engineering Company Limited Cryogenic cooling apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE2014461A1 (de) 1970-10-15
FR2039955A5 (xx) 1971-01-15

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