Systems and methods for electrostatic trapping of contaminants in cryogenic refrigeration systems

A method of operating an electrostatic cryogenic cold trap, the method comprising:

• providing a refrigerant that includes one or more contaminants to a fluid passage that extends from at least one inlet to at least one outlet of the electrostatic cryogenic cold trap, at least a portion of the fluid passage held at one or more temperatures;
• causing at least some of the one or more contaminants present in the refrigerant to electrostatically bond to a plurality of collection electrodes by:
• forming a first electrical potential of a first polarity on a plurality of discharge electrodes positioned in the fluid passage that extends from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet of the electrostatic cryogenic cold trap;
• forming a second electrical potential of a second polarity on the plurality of collection electrodes, the second polarity opposite the first polarity, and the plurality of collection electrodes positioned in the fluid passage that extends from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet of the electrostatic cryogenic cold trap;
• selecting a first contaminant of the one or more contaminants, the first contaminant comprising a plurality of molecules;
• and
• selecting a value of each of the first electrical potential, the second electrical potential, and at least one of the one or more temperatures, to cause electrostatic bonding of a first molecule of the plurality of molecules to at least one of the plurality of collection electrodes, wherein the energy of the electrostatic bonding of the first molecule is greater than an average molecular kinetic energy of the plurality of molecules.