Low temperature heat transfer methods
AssigneeAmerican Air Liquide, Inc.
InventorsFrederick W. Giacobbe, Michael G. Pizzo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods of cooling an object are presented, the methods comprising contacting a heat transfer fluid with a liquid cryogen to form a precooled, substantially pure heat transfer fluid, and contacting the object with the precooled substantially pure heat transfer fluid to form a cooled object and a recycle flow of the heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluid consists essentially of a compound selected from the group consisting of substantially pure hydrogen, substantially pure helium, substantially pure argon, substantially pure nitrogen, and substantially pure carbon dioxide. Each of the contacting steps may be either direct contact, indirect contact, or combinations thereof.
Claims29
A method of cooling an object, the method comprising:
- a) contacting a heat transfer fluid with a liquid cryogen to form a precooled heat transfer fluid;
- and b) contacting the object with the precooled heat transfer fluid to form a cooled object and a recycle flow of said heat transfer fluid, the precooled heat transfer fluid consisting essentially of a compound selected from the group consisting of substantially pure hydrogen, substantially pure helium, substantially pure argon, substantially pure nitrogen, and substantially pure carbon dioxide, and wherein the contacting the object is selected from the group consisting of directly contacting the object, indirectly contacting the object, and combinations thereof.
A method of cooling a substantially cylindrical object traversing a substantially confined space, the method comprising:
- a) directly contacting a heat transfer fluid with said substantially cylindrical object inside of the confined space, the confined space defined by a substantially cylindrical tube having a tube inlet and a tube outlet, the substantially cylindrical object entering the tube inlet and exiting the tube outlet, the substantially cylindrical tube having a heat transfer fluid inlet near the tube outlet and a heat transfer fluid outlet near the tube inlet;
- and b) substantially maintaining a temperature of the heat transfer fluid contacting the substantially cylindrical object by indirectly or directly contacting the heat transfer fluid with a cryogen to form a cooled substantially cylindrical object and an exit flow of said heat transfer fluid, the heat transfer fluid consisting essentially of a compound selected from the group consisting of substantially pure hydrogen, substantially pure helium, substantially pure argon, substantially pure nitrogen, and substantially pure carbon dioxide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.