Apparatus and method for recovery and recycle of optical fiber coolant gas

An apparatus for recovering a coolant gas containing contaminants from a heat exchanger and recycling at least a portion of the recovered coolant gas, the apparatus comprising:

• a pump operable to recover the coolant gas from the heat exchanger and to transport the recovered coolant gas through the apparatus;
• an analyzer operable to monitor a condition of the recovered coolant gas;
• a first mass flow controller operable to reclaim a portion of the recovered coolant gas by delivering the reclaimed portion of the recovered coolant gas to a mixing point;
• a second mass flow controller operable to provide a virgin coolant gas to the mixing point;
• a third mass flow controller operable to maintain a flow of the recovered coolant gas through the apparatus;
• wherein the apparatus is operable to produce, based on the condition of the recovered coolant gas, a gaseous coolant blend from the virgin coolant gas and the reclaimed portion of the recovered coolant gas such that the gaseous coolant blend has a predetermined contaminant concentration when the gaseous coolant blend is introduced into the heat exchanger.

A coolant gas recovery system comprising:

• a coolant gas for cooling a hot fiber;
• a heat exchanger including:
• a fiber inlet adapted to receive the hot fiber into the heat exchanger;
• a fiber outlet adapted to expel the hot fiber from the heat exchanger;
• a passageway extending between the fiber inlet and fiber outlet, the passageway adapted to pass therethrough the hot fiber;
• one or more coolant gas inlets for introducing a coolant gas into the passageway;
• and
• one or more coolant gas outlets for removing the coolant gas from the passageway;
• a pump for pumping and drawing the coolant gas through the system;
• an analyzer for monitoring an impurity concentration in the coolant gas;
• a first mass flow controller and a second mass flow controller for controlling the impurity concentration in the coolant gas based on the monitored impurity concentration;
• and
• a third mass flow controller for providing a seal to the heat exchanger using the coolant gas and for maintaining a constant flow of the coolant gas to ensure continuous operation of the pump.