Dual-purpose displacer system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10042015-B2
Application number	US-201514928040-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2015
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

A dual-purpose displacer for adjusting a liquid cryogen level in a cryostat, the dual-purpose displacer includes a displacer wall having an exterior displacer surface and an interior displacer surface. The interior displacer surface defines a displacing chamber configured to contain a first portion of liquid cryogen. The exterior displacer surface is configured to displace a second portion of liquid cryogen contained in a cryogenic chamber of the cryostat. The dual-purpose displacer is disposed within the cryogenic chamber of the cryostat and configured to transfer the first portion of liquid cryogen contained within the displacing chamber to the cryogenic chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dual-purpose displacer for adjusting a liquid cryogen level in a cryostat, the dual-purpose displacer comprising:
a displacer wall having an exterior displacer surface and an interior displacer surface, the interior displacer surface defining a displacing chamber configured to contain a first portion of liquid cryogen, the exterior displacer surface configured to displace a second portion of liquid cryogen contained in a cryogenic chamber of the cryostat, and
wherein the dual-purpose displacer is disposed within the cryogenic chamber of the cryostat and configured to transfer the first portion of liquid cryogen contained within the displacing chamber to the cryogenic chamber.

2. The dual-purpose displacer of claim 1 further comprising:
a displacer pipe that penetrates the cryostat and has an end fluidly connected to the displacing chamber; and
a dispensing tube having a first end fluidly connected to the displacing chamber, and a second end disposed above a desired maximum liquid cryogen level of the cryogenic chamber and fluidly connected to the cryogenic chamber.

3. The dual-purpose displacer of claim 2 ,
wherein the dual-purpose displacer has an open cylindrical shape having a top end and a bottom end, the bottom end being a location within the displacing chamber where a pressure of the first portion of liquid cryogen contained within the displacing chamber is greatest due to gravity, and
wherein the end of the displacer pipe is disposed at the top end of the dual-purpose displacer, and the first end of the dispensing tube is disposed at the bottom end of the dual-purpose displacer.

4. The dual-purpose displacer of claim 2 , wherein displacing chamber is configured to receive the first portion of liquid cryogen and the second portion of liquid cryogen from the displacer pipe.

5. The dual-purpose displacer of claim 4 , wherein the displacing chamber is further configured to fill the cryogenic chamber with the second portion of liquid cryogen by way of the dispensing tube.

6. The dual-purpose displacer of claim 2 , wherein the displacing chamber is further configured to transfer the first portion of liquid cryogen contained within the displacing chamber to the cryogenic chamber by receiving a pressurized medium from the displacer pipe, and wherein the pressurized medium forces the first portion of liquid cryogen to vacate the displacing chamber by way of the first end of the dispensing tube and flow into the cryogenic chamber through the second end of the dispensing tube.

7. The dual-purpose displacer of claim 2 further comprising a heater disposed within the displacing chamber, wherein the displacing chamber is further configured to transfer the first portion of liquid cryogen contained within the displacing chamber to the cryogenic chamber by way of the heater heating a third portion of liquid cryogen contained within the displacing chamber such that the third portion of liquid cryogen evaporates and becomes a pressurized medium that forces the first portion of liquid cryogen to vacate the displacing chamber by way of the first end of the dispensing tube and flow into the cryogenic chamber through the second end of the dispensing tube.

8. The dual-purpose displacer of claim 1 , wherein the displacing chamber has no moving parts.

9. A method for filling a cryostat with liquid cryogen, the method comprising:
receiving, at a displacing chamber defined by an interior displacer surface of a dual-purpose displacer contained within a cryogenic chamber of the cryostat, a first portion of liquid cryogen;
receiving, at the cryogenic chamber of the cryostat, a second portion of liquid cryogen; and
displacing the second portion of liquid cryogen within the cryogenic chamber via an exterior displacer surface of the dual-purpose displacer,
wherein the dual-purpose displacer is configured to transfer the first portion of liquid cryogen contained within the displacing chamber to the cryogenic chamber.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first portion of liquid cryogen is received at the displacing chamber via a displacer pipe that penetrates the cryostat and has an end fluidly connected to the displacing chamber.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the cryogenic chamber receives the second portion of liquid cryogen from the displacing chamber.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second portion of liquid cryogen is transferred from the displacing chamber to the cryogenic chamber via a dispensing tube having a first end fluidly connected to the displacing chamber and a second end disposed above a desired maximum liquid cryogen level of the cryogenic chamber and fluidly connected to the cryogenic chamber.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the displacing chamber is further configured to transfer the first portion of the liquid cryogen contained within the displacing chamber to the cryogenic chamber by pressurizing the displacing chamber with a pressurized medium such that the pressurized medium forces the first portion of liquid cryogen to vacate the displacing chamber.

14. A method for adjusting a liquid cryogen level of a cryostat, the method comprising:
containing a first portion of liquid cryogen within a displacing chamber defined by the interior displacer surface of a dual-purpose displacer disposed within a cryogenic chamber of the cryostat,
wherein an exterior displacer surface of the dual-purpose displacer is configured to displace a second portion of liquid cryogen contained within the cryogenic chamber; and
transferring the first portion of liquid cryogen from the displacing chamber to the cryogenic chamber.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein transferring the first portion of liquid cryogen from the displacing chamber to the cryogenic chamber comprises:
pressurizing the displacing chamber with a pressurized medium such that the pressurized medium forces the first portion of liquid cryogen to vacate the displacing chamber.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein pressurizing the displacing chamber with the pressurized medium such that the pressurized medium forces the first portion of liquid cryogen to vacate the displacing chamber comprises:
receiving the pressurized medium, at the displacing chamber, by way of a displacer pipe that penetrates the cryostat, the displacer pipe having a first end fluidly connected to a pressurized medium source, and a second end fluidly connected to the displacing chamber.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein pressurizing the displacing chamber with a pressurized medium such that the pressurized medium forces the first portion of liquid cryogen to vacate the displacing chamber comprises:
heating a third portion of liquid cryogen contained within the displacing chamber such that the third portion of liquid cryogen evaporates and becomes the pressurized medium.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first portion of liquid cryogen is transferred from the displacing chamber to the cryogenic chamber via a dispensing tube, the dispensing tube having a first end fluidly connected to the displacing chamber, and a second end fluidly connected to the cryogenic chamber and disposed above a desired maximum liquid cryogen level of the cryogenic chamber.

19. The method of claim 14 , the method further comprising:
detecting the cryogen level of the second portion of liquid cryogen contained within the cryogenic chamber.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Celik Dogan
• Derakhshan Mark O
• Jarvis Peter
• Lvovsky Yuri
• Feltham Stuart Paul

Classifications

• G01R33/3804 Primary

  Additional hardware for cooling or heating of the magnet assembly, for housing a cooled or heated part of the magnet assembly or for temperature control of the magnet assembly · CPC title

• F17C2250/0408

  Level of content in the vessel · CPC title

• F17C5/04

  requiring the use of refrigeration, e.g. filling with helium or hydrogen · CPC title

• F17C3/085

  Cryostats · CPC title

• F17C2250/0689

  Methods for controlling or regulating · CPC title