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US 7,350,363 B2Granted
Pulse tube refrigerator sleeve
AssigneeSiemens Magnet Technology Ltd.
InventorsWolfgang Stautner, Florian Steinmeyer
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AssigneeSiemens Magnet Technology Ltd.
InventorsWolfgang Stautner, Florian Steinmeyer
Estimating the term…
The present invention relates to pulse tube refrigerators for recondensing cryogenic liquids. In particular, the present invention relates to the same for magnetic resonance imaging systems. In many cryogenic applications components, e.g. superconducting coils for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), superconducting transformers, generators, electronics, are cooled by keeping them in contact with a volume of liquified gases (e.g. Helium, Neon, Nitrogen, Argon, Methane . . . ). Any dissipation in the components or heat getting into the system causes the volume to part boil off. To account for the losses, replenishment is required. This service operation is considered to be problematic by many users and great efforts have been made over the years to introduce refrigerators that recondense any lost liquid right back into the bath. The present invention addresses the problems arising from convection which occurs within a pulse tube refrigerator. The invention provides. in a first aspect, a PTR recondenser wherein, the individual tubes of PTR are insulated by a split sleeve around the whole assembly. Preferably, the sleeve is split into two parts. This configuration has been shown to reduce convection and problems associated therewith.
A pulse tube refrigerator PTR arrangement within a cryogenic apparatus, wherein:
A method of operating a pulse tube refrigerator PTR arrangement within a crvogenic apparatus, wherein the PTR is operable within an outer sleeve associated with a housing of the cryogenic apparatus, for positioning the PTR with a first end exposed to room temperature and a second end associated with a cryogenic fluid, wherein tubes of the PTR are disposed within and surrounded by a space that is delimited by an inner sleeve, the method comprising:
A method of operatina a pulse tube refrigerator PTR arrangement within a cryogenic apparatus, wherein the PTR is operable within an insertion sock associated with a housing of the cryogenic apparatus, for positioning the PTR with a first end exposed to room temperature and a second end associated with a cryogenic fluid, wherein tubes of the PTR are disposed within and surrounded by a space that is delimited by an inner sleeve, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.