System and method for cryogenic cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11215384-B2
Application number	US-201816221954-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2018
Priority date	May 12, 2010
Publication date	Jan 4, 2022
Grant date	Jan 4, 2022

Abstract

A heat exchanger within an insulated enclosure receives primary refrigerant at a high pressure and cools the primary refrigerant using a secondary refrigerant from a secondary refrigeration system. An expansion unit within the insulated enclosure receives the primary refrigerant at the high pressure from the heat exchanger and discharges the primary refrigerant at a low pressure. A supply line delivers the primary refrigerant at the low pressure to the load and a return line returns the primary refrigerant from the load to the primary refrigeration system. A system control unit controls operation of at least one of the primary refrigeration system and the secondary refrigeration system to provide a variable refrigeration capacity to the load based on at least one of: a pressure of the primary refrigerant delivered to the load, and at least one temperature of the load.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for providing a cooling refrigerant to a load, the system comprising:
a closed loop primary refrigeration system comprising
a compressor taking in the refrigerant at a low pressure and discharging the refrigerant at a high pressure;
an expansion valve receiving the refrigerant at the high pressure from the compressor and discharging the refrigerant at the low pressure to an insulated enclosure,
the insulated enclosure comprising an inlet receiving the refrigerant from the expansion valve and an outlet returning the refrigerant at the low pressure to the compressor;
at least one heat exchanger within the insulated enclosure receiving the refrigerant at the low pressure and cooling the refrigerant using a secondary refrigeration system in heat exchange relationship with the refrigerant;
a supply line delivering the refrigerant at the low pressure to the load and a return line returning the refrigerant from the load to the primary refrigeration system;
the secondary refrigeration system, wherein the secondary refrigeration system comprises at least one secondary cryogenic refrigerator;
a first channel of the secondary refrigeration system delivering cooling from the secondary refrigeration system to at least one heat transfer surface of the load, and a second channel of the secondary refrigeration system delivering the secondary refrigerant to the at least one heat exchanger; and
a system control unit controlling operation of at least one of the primary refrigeration system and the secondary refrigeration system to provide a variable refrigeration capacity to the load based on at least one of: a pressure of the primary refrigerant delivered to the load, and at least one temperature of the load.

2. The system of claim 1 , the system control unit controlling operation of the secondary refrigeration system to avoid either undercooling of the load or overcooling of the load, based on (i) a measured pressure or a measured temperature of the primary refrigerant returned from the load that is cooled by the primary refrigerant or (ii) a measured pressure or a measured temperature of the primary refrigerant entering the load that is cooled by the primary refrigerant.

3. The system of claim 1 , the system control unit controlling at least one of a high pressure, a low pressure and a pressure differential of the primary compressor.

4. The system of claim 1 , the system control unit controlling a heat source to supply heat to be delivered to the primary refrigerant or controlling a heat source to supply heat to be delivered to the secondary refrigerant.

5. The system of claim 1 , the system control unit controlling flow of the primary refrigerant to bypass at least a portion of the at least one heat exchanger or at least a portion of the primary refrigeration system.

6. The system of claim 1 , the system control unit controlling a rate of flow of the primary refrigerant or controlling a rate of flow of the secondary refrigerant.

7. The system of claim 1 , the system control unit controlling a set point temperature of the secondary refrigeration system or controlling a speed of a secondary compressor of the secondary refrigeration system.

8. The system of claim 1 , the system control unit controlling flow of the secondary refrigerant to bypass at least a portion of the secondary refrigeration system.

9. The system of claim 1 , the system control unit controlling flow of at least a portion of the primary refrigerant to warm at least a portion of the load or controlling flow of at least a portion of the secondary refrigerant to warm at least a portion of the load.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a transfer line extending out of the insulated enclosure, wherein the supply line delivers the refrigerant at the low pressure to the load through the transfer line, and the return line returns the refrigerant from the load through the transfer line.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the load is within the insulated enclosure.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the load comprises at least one of: a semiconductor substrate, a fluid stream for cryogenic separation, a gas to be liquefied, a biological sample, a chemical process, material property analysis equipment, a water vapor trap, an article in a manufacturing process, an imaging device, a subatomic particle detector, a photonic detector, chemical analysis equipment, a superconducting cable, and a superconducting device.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the secondary refrigeration system comprises a mixed gas refrigeration system.

14. A system for providing a cooling refrigerant to at least one load, the system comprising:
a closed loop primary refrigeration system comprising:
a compressor taking in the refrigerant at a low pressure and discharging the refrigerant at a high pressure;
an expansion valve receiving the refrigerant at the high pressure from the compressor and discharging the refrigerant at the low pressure to an insulated enclosure,
the insulated enclosure comprising an inlet receiving the refrigerant from the expansion valve and an outlet returning the refrigerant at the low pressure to the compressor;
at least one heat exchanger within the insulated enclosure receiving the refrigerant at the low pressure and cooling the refrigerant using a secondary refrigeration system in heat exchange relationship with the refrigerant;
a supply line delivering the refrigerant at the low pressure towards the at least one load and a return line returning the refrigerant from the at least one load to the primary refrigeration system;
a transfer line out of the insulated enclosure delivering the refrigerant received from the supply line at the low pressure to at least one of the at least one load, the transfer line returning the refrigerant from the at least one of the at least one load to the insulated enclosure;

the secondary refrigeration system, wherein the secondary refrigeration system comprises at least one secondary cryogenic refrigerator; and
a system control unit controlling operation of at least one of the primary refrigeration system and the secondary refrigeration system to provide a variable refrigeration capacity to the at least one load based on at least one of: a pressure of the primary refrigerant delivered to the at least one load, and at least one temperature of the at least one load.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein at least one of the at least one load is positioned within the insulated enclosure.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein each of the at least one load comprises at least one of: a semiconductor substrate, a fluid stream for cryogenic separation, a gas to be liquefied, a biological sample, a chemical process, material property analysis equipment, a water vapor trap, an article in a manufacturing process, an imaging device, a subatomic particle detector, a photonic detector, chemical analysis equipment, a superconducting cable, and a superconducting device.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the secondary refrigeration system comprises a mixed gas refrigeration system.

18. The system of claim 14 , the system control unit controlling operation of the secondary refrigeration system to avoid either undercooling of the at least one load or overcooling of the at least one load, based on (i) a measured pressure or a measured temperature of the primary refrigerant returned from the at least one load that is cooled by the primary refrigerant or (ii) a measured pressure or a measured temperature of the primary refrigerant entering one of the at le

Assignees

• Edwards Vacuum Llc

Inventors

• Bartlett Allen J
• Johnson William
• Collins Mark
• Syssoev Sergei
• O'Neil James A
• Eacobacci Michael J

Classifications

• F25B9/006

  the refrigerant containing more than one component (F25B9/004 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25B2700/21

  Temperatures · CPC title

• F25B2600/0251

  with on-off operation · CPC title

• F25B9/02

  using Joule-Thompson effect; using vortex effect · CPC title

• Y10T279/34

  Accessory or component · CPC title