Refrigeration and/or liquefaction device, and associated method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10465981-B2
Application number	US-201314651833-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2013
Priority date	Dec 18, 2012
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A device for refrigerating and/or liquefying a working gas comprising helium, the device comprising a looped working circuit for the working gas includes, in series, a compression station, a cold box, a heat exchange system exchanging heat between the cooled working gas and a user, the device further comprising an additional pre-cooling system comprising at least one tank of auxiliary cryogenic fluid, such as liquid nitrogen, the cold box comprising a first cooling stage of the working gas comprising a first exchanger disposed at the output of the compression station as well as a second heat exchanger and a third heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger being of the aluminum plate-fin type, the second heat exchanger being of the tube or welded plate type, characterized in that the second and third heat exchangers are connected both serially and in parallel on the working circuit downstream of the first heat exchanger.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for refrigeration and/or liquefaction of a working gas containing helium or consisting of pure helium, the device comprising a working circuit in form of a loop for the working gas and comprising, in series:
a working gas compression station equipped with at least one compressor;
a cold box comprising a plurality of heat exchangers for cooling the working gas and at least one expander for expanding the working gas, the plurality of heat exchangers comprising a plurality of first heat exchangers arranged in series, a second heat exchanger, and a third heat exchanger;
an end-use heat exchanger for exchange of heat between the cooled working gas and a user wherein the user is a super conducting cable;
at least one return pipe returning to the working gas compression station the working gas that has passed through the plurality of first heat exchangers and warmed by the working gas compression station, an upstream-most one of the plurality of first heat exchangers being arranged at the exit from the working gas compression station and being of an aluminum plate and fin type, and
the device further comprising:
at least one volume of liquefied auxiliary gas, the at least one volume of liquefied auxiliary gas being connected to the working circuit via at least one of the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger in order to selectively transfer heat between the at least one volume of liquefied auxiliary gas and the working gas, the second heat exchanger being of a welded plate or welded tube(s) type, the second heat exchanger being immersed in a bath for auxiliary cooling fluid, wherein:
the second and third heat exchangers are connected both in series and in parallel to the working circuit downstream of said upstream-most one of the plurality of first heat exchangers so that the working gas cooled in the upstream-most of the plurality of first heat exchangers can be admitted selectively to the second and/or to the third heat exchanger,
the at least one volume of liquefied auxiliary gas comprises at least a first volume of liquefied auxiliary gas, and
the second heat exchanger is immersed in the first volume of liquefied auxiliary gas.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the second heat exchanger is one of the following: stainless steel tubes, aluminum tubes, or a stainless steel welded plate exchanger, wherein the stainless steel tubes or the aluminum tubes are optionally finned.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the working circuit comprises a bypass leg selectively bypassing the third heat exchanger allowing the working gas from said upstream-most one of the plurality of first heat exchangers being arranged at the exit of the compression station and/or from the second heat exchanger to selectively avoid the third heat exchanger in the working circuit.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the third exchanger is adapted and configured to effect selective exchange of heat between the working gas and the at least one volume of liquefied auxiliary gas, the device comprising a selective feed pipe connecting the at least one volume of liquefied auxiliary gas to the third heat exchanger in order to transfer heat between the at least one volume of liquefied auxiliary gas and the working gas in the third heat exchanger.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one volume of liquefied auxiliary gas comprises the first volume of liquefied auxiliary gas and a second volume of liquefied auxiliary gas, the second volume of liquefied auxiliary gas is selectively fed with liquefied auxiliary gas from a liquefied auxiliary gas source, and the third heat exchanger is immersed in said second volume of liquefied auxiliary gas in order to allow an exchange of heat between the working gas and the liquefied auxiliary gas of the second volume.

6. A method of cooling a user using the device of claim 1 , the method comprising a step of pre-cooling the user having an initial temperature of between 250K and 400K through heat exchange, via the end-use heat exchanger, between the user and the working gas cooled by the plurality of heat exchangers, wherein:
the working gas leaving the working gas compression station is cooled by exchange of heat in said upstream-most one of the plurality of first heat exchangers, then is subdivided into two streams of which a first stream is cooled in the second heat exchanger, and then in the third heat exchanger,
a second stream is cooled directly in the third heat exchanger, and
an amount of liquefied auxiliary gas vaporized in the at least one volume of liquefied auxiliary gas is discharged without giving cooling to the upstream-most one of the plurality of first heat exchangers.

7. A method of cooling a user using a device for refrigeration and/or liquefaction of a working gas as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the user is cooled via the end use heat exchanger.

Assignees

• Air Liquide
• Lair Liquide Sa Pour Letude Et Lexoloitation Des Procedes Georqes Claude

Inventors

• Bernhardt Jean-Marc
• Durand Fabien
• Heloin Vincent
• Barjhoux Pierre
• Flavien Gilles

Classifications

• F25J2270/904

  by liquid or gaseous cryogen in an open loop · CPC title

• F25J2250/02

  Bath type boiler-condenser using thermo-siphon effect, e.g. with natural or forced circulation or pool boiling, i.e. core-in-kettle heat exchanger · CPC title

• F25J1/0268

  using a dedicated refrigeration means (F25J1/0296 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25B2339/046

  Condensers with refrigerant heat exchange tubes positioned inside or around a vessel containing water or pcm to cool the refrigerant gas · CPC title

• F25B2339/024

  Evaporators with refrigerant in a vessel in which is situated a heat exchanger · CPC title