Cryogenic system
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho
InventorTakashi Miki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cryogenic system includes a space formed between a cooling stage of a cryocooler unit and an element to be cooled, and a thermal joint placed in the space, wherein the thermal joint is composed of a substance that has a melting point higher than the cooling temperature of the element to be cooled and that is in a liquid or gaseous state at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The cryogenic system can achieve reproducible and excellent thermal contact at a cooling stage without applying a large mechanical stress to a cryocooler unit structure.
Claims11
A cryogenic system comprising:
- a cryocooler unit;
- an element to be cooled;
- a cooling stage of said cryocooler unit, said cooling stage being provided so that a space formed between said cooling stage of said cryocooler unit and said element to be cooled;
- and
- a thermal joint placed in said space,
- wherein said thermal joint is composed of a substance that has a melting point higher than the cooling temperature of said element to be cooled and that is in a liquid or gaseous state at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, and wherein said thermal joint functions as a thermal switch which is on when the substance is in a solid state,
- the substance of the thermal joint is in a solid state when the cryocooler unit is in operation, and in a liquid or gaseous state when the cryocooler unit is at rest, and
- the substance contains at least one selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, neon, para-hydrogen, and water.
A cryogenic system comprising
- a cryocooler unit;
- an element to be cooled;
- a cooling stage of said cryocooler unit, said cooling stage being provided so that a space formed between said cooling stage of said cryocooler unit and said element to be cooled;
- a thermal joint placed in said space;
- a buffer tank for storing the substance;
- a connecting pipe;
- and
- a catalyst vessel containing a catalyst,
- wherein said thermal joint is composed of a substance that has a melting point higher than the cooling temperature of said element to be cooled and that is in a liquid or gaseous state at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, and wherein said thermal joint functions as a thermal switch which is on when the substance is in a solid state,
- wherein said buffer tank is connected to said thermal joint via said connecting pipe, and
- wherein the substance stored in said buffer tank is hydrogen, the catalyst is for ortho-para hydrogen conversion and said catalyst vessel is intervened by said connecting pipe.
A cryogenic system, comprising:
- a cryocooler unit;
- an element to be cooled;
- a cooling stage of said cryocooler unit, said cooling stage being provided so that a space formed between said cooling stage of said cryocooler unit and said element to be cooled;
- a thermal joint placed in said space;
- and
- a sleeve housing said thermal joint,
- wherein said thermal joint is composed of a substance that has a melting point higher than the cooling temperature of said element to be cooled and that is in a liquid or gaseous state at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, and wherein said thermal joint functions as a thermal switch which is on when the substance is in a solid state, and
- wherein a surface of said element to be cooled, in contact with said thermal joint, is made of a first material, and said sleeve is made of a second material having a lower thermal conductivity than the first material, and said sleeve is provided with a deformation absorber for absorbing vertical deformation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.