Device for purifying and liquefying helium and associated method

Abstract

An apparatus (100) for purifying and liquefying helium, comprising a cold head (3) with a room-temperature, rear end portion (5), and at least one rearmost cooling stage (8), which is warmest during operation, and one foremost cooling stage (10), which is coldest during operation, wherein the room-temperature end portion (5) and the cooling stages (8, 10) are arranged in succession along a direction of extension (ER) of the cold head (3), an adsorber bed (4) that is thermally coupled to the cold head (3), and a vacuum-insulated storage vessel (1) for liquefied helium, is characterized in that the apparatus (100) provides a gas space (12) into which the cold head (3) protrudes with its cooling stages (8, 10) and which contains the adsorber bed (4), wherein the gas space (12) leads from the room-temperature end portion (5) of the cold head (3), on which a feed connection (6) for helium gas to be purified is formed, along the cold head (3) and via the adsorber bed (4) to the coldest cooling stage (10) of the cold head (3), and in that a thermal coupling of the cold head (3) to the adsorber bed (4) is provided from at least two coupling-out locations (14) on the cold head (3) to at least two coupling-in locations (15) on the adsorber bed (4), wherein a coupling-out region (16) over which the coupling-out locations (14) on the cold head (3) are distributed has a length (LAK) of at least 5 cm in the direction of extension (ER) of the cold head (3), and wherein a coupling-in region (17) over which the coupling-in locations (15) on the adsorber bed (4) are distributed has a length (LEK) of at least 5 cm in the direction of extension (ER) of the cold head (3). The apparatus allows helium to be purified and liquefied easily and efficiently.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.