System and method for delivering cryogenic fluid

A rotating nozzle assembly, comprising:

• a rotatable shaft having a bore to transport a cryogenic fluid therethrough, the rotatable shaft having an upstream portion associated with a feed chamber and a downstream portion;
• a seal disposed within the feed chamber and surrounding at least a portion of the rotatable shaft, the seal comprising a body formed from an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and a spring disposed within a groove formed in an upstream end of the body;
• and
• a seal backup disk disposed proximate the seal, the seal backup disk including an orifice surrounding an outside diameter of the rotatable shaft, the orifice having a diameter between 0.191 inch and 0.193 inch.

A method, comprising:

• providing a feed chamber in fluid communication with a bore formed in an upstream portion of a rotatable shaft;
• providing a seal within the feed chamber, the seal surrounding at least a portion of the rotatable shaft;
• and
• preventing a cryogenic fluid flowing through the bore of the rotatable shaft from seeping past the seal by utilizing a seal backup disk disposed proximate the seal.

A nozzle assembly, comprising:

• a mixing chamber;
• a high-pressure supercritical nitrogen feed coupled to the mixing chamber and operable to deliver high-pressure supercritical nitrogen into the mixing chamber;
• an abrasive material feed coupled to the mixing chamber and operable to deliver an abrasive material into the mixing chamber;
• and
• a nozzle coupled to the mixing chamber and operable to direct a jet comprised of a mixture of the high-pressure supercritical nitrogen and the abrasive material from the mixing chamber toward a target, the nozzle sized such that the jet does not lose coherence before striking the target.

A nozzle assembly, comprising:

• a mixing chamber;
• a high-pressure supercritical nitrogen feed coupled to the mixing chamber and operable to deliver high-pressure supercritical nitrogen into the mixing chamber;
• an abrasive material feed coupled to the mixing chamber and operable to deliver an abrasive material into the mixing chamber;
• and
• a nozzle coupled to the mixing chamber and operable to direct a mixture of the high-pressure supercritical nitrogen and the abrasive material from the mixing chamber toward a target, the nozzle having an exposed length of no more than two inches such that the high-pressure supercritical nitrogen exits the nozzle at a temperature no colder than −235° F. at a pressure of approximately 55,000 psi.