Cryogenic cooling system

A cryogenic cooling system comprising:

• a cryogenic refrigerator assembly comprising one or more cryogenic refrigerators;
• and
• two or more connected modules, each of the two or more connected modules comprising:
• a housing defining an internal volume of the module, the housing having a plurality of side faces;
• and
• a plurality of stages arranged within the internal volume of the module, wherein one or more of the plurality of stages is thermally coupled to the cryogenic refrigerator assembly, wherein the stages are planar and spaced apart along a common axis perpendicular to the planes of the stages;
• wherein the two or more said modules are mutually connected at respective side faces;
• wherein the housings of the connected modules together define a common internal volume of the system which is hermetically sealed from the surrounding environment;
• and
• wherein two or more stages of the plurality of stages of a first said module are connected within the common internal volume to respective stages of the plurality of stages of a second said module,
• the cryogenic cooling system further comprising a plurality of expandable joints, each expandable joint of the plurality of expandable joints being configured to accommodate differential thermal contraction between connected stages of the plurality of stages of the first module and the plurality of stages of the second module.

A cryogenic cooling system comprising:

• a cryogenic refrigerator assembly comprising one or more cryogenic refrigerators;
• and
• two or more connected modules, each of the two or more connected modules comprising:
• a housing defining an internal volume of the module, the housing having a plurality of side faces;
• and
• a plurality of stages arranged within the internal volume of the module, wherein one or more of the plurality of stages is thermally coupled to the cryogenic refrigerator assembly, wherein the stages are planar and spaced apart along a common axis perpendicular to the planes of the stages;
• wherein the two or more said modules are mutually connected at respective side faces;
• wherein the housings of the connected modules together define a common internal volume of the system which is hermetically sealed from the surrounding environment;
• wherein two or more stages of the plurality of stages of a first said module are connected within the common internal volume to respective stages of the plurality of stages of a second said module;
• and
• wherein the first said module comprises a first dilution unit, the first dilution unit comprising a still mounted to a still stage of the plurality of stages of the first said module;
• and wherein the second said module comprises a second dilution unit, the second dilution unit comprising a still mounted to a still stage of the plurality of stages of the second said module, wherein the still stages of the first and second modules are connected by a connecting member arranged within the internal volume of the system.

A cryogenic cooling system comprising:

• a cryogenic refrigerator assembly comprising one or more cryogenic refrigerators;
• and
• two or more connected modules, each of the two or more connected modules comprising:
• a housing defining an internal volume of the module, the housing having a plurality of side faces;
• and
• a plurality of stages arranged within the internal volume of the module, wherein one or more of the plurality of stages is thermally coupled to the cryogenic refrigerator assembly, wherein the stages are planar and spaced apart along a common axis perpendicular to the planes of the stages;
• wherein the two or more said modules are mutually connected at respective side faces;
• wherein the housings of the connected modules together define a common internal volume of the system which is hermetically sealed from the surrounding environment;
• wherein two or more stages of the plurality of stages of a first said module are connected within the common internal volume to respective stages of the plurality of stages of a second said module;
• and
• wherein the cryogenic refrigerator assembly is configured so that each of said two or more connected modules comprises a cryogenic refrigerator of the one or more cryogenic refrigerators, the cryogenic refrigerator for each of said two or more connected modules being thermally coupled to one or more of the plurality of stages of the module, the system further comprising a removable panel, wherein each said module is configured to operate in a first configuration as an independent cryogenic cooling system whereby the removable panel is fitted to the housing of the module in the first configuration to enclose the internal volume for the module, wherein each said module is further configured to operate in a second configuration as a component of an integrated cryogenic cooling system comprising a plurality of said modules mutually connected at respective side faces to form a shared internal volume for the system in which the stages for each said connected module are arranged, wherein in the second configuration the removable panel is removed from the housing.

A cryogenic cooling system comprising:

• a cryogenic refrigerator assembly comprising one or more cryogenic refrigerators;
• and
• two or more connected modules, each of the two or more connected modules comprising:
• a housing defining an internal volume of the module, the housing having a plurality of side faces;
• and
• a plurality of stages arranged within the internal volume of the module, wherein one or more of the plurality of stages is thermally coupled to the cryogenic refrigerator assembly;
• wherein the two or more said modules are mutually connected at respective side faces;
• wherein each module of the two or more connected modules forms a unit cell of an extensible system;
• wherein the housings of the connected modules together define a common internal volume of the system which is hermetically sealed from the surrounding environment;
• and
• wherein the system further comprises a plurality of flexible connections arranged within the internal volume of the system, wherein each stage of the plurality of stages of a first said module is connected to a corresponding stage of the plurality of stages of a second said module by a respective flexible connection of the plurality of flexible connections;
• wherein one or more of the modules comprises a door provided on a side face of the plurality of side faces, wherein the door can be opened to provide access to the interior of the module.

A cryogenic cooling system comprising:

• a cryogenic refrigerator assembly comprising one or more cryogenic refrigerators;
• and
• two or more connected modules, each of the two or more connected modules comprising:
• a housing defining an internal volume of the module, the housing having a plurality of side faces arranged so that the system forms a tessellating structure;
• a plurality of planar stages arranged within the internal volume of the module, the stages being spaced apart along a common axis perpendicular to the planes of the stages;
• a nested assembly of heat radiation shields, each heat radiation shield connected to a respective stage of the plurality of stages;
• and
• a dilution unit comprising a still mounted to a still stage of the plurality of stages of the module;
• wherein the two or more said modules are mutually connected at respective side faces, with the housings of the connected modules together defining a common internal volume of the system which is hermetically sealed from the surrounding environment;
• wherein the system further comprises a plurality of extension plates, wherein one or more stages of the plurality of stages of a first said module is connected to a corresponding stage of the plurality of stages of a second said module by a respective extension plate of the plurality of extension plates, each said extension plate including an expandable joint to accommodate differential thermal contraction;
• wherein the still stages of the first and second modules are connected by an extension plate of the plurality of extension plates;
• wherein the system further comprises a plurality of shield extension sections, each shield extension section connecting respective surfaces of the nested assemblies of heat radiation shields of adjacent connected modules;
• and wherein the combination of each heat radiation shield and its respective connected stage defines a quadrilateral profile when viewed in a plane extending across an interface between two connected modules of the two or more connected modules.