A highly efficient 100 L/HR class helium liquefier system
✍ Scribed by Thomas Ankermann; Roberto Than; Hank Valcour
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1994
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 303 KB
- Volume
- 34
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0011-2275
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
A new helium liquefier system has been designed and built to provide over i00 liters per hour with a highly efficient process cycle.
The modified Claude-cycle utilizes four reciprocating piston expansion engines configured in series, with the lowest temperature engine acting as a wet expander (replacing the usual JT valve).
Operation of the system is highly flexible, permitting the use of one or more oil-flooded rotary screw compressors, and the freedom of choice to use liquid nitrogen precooling, or not.
A new purifier was designed for maximum efficiency, which accepts feed gas with up to 20% air contamination.
When operating on pure feed gas, the system will produce up to 150 I/hr of liquid helium.
Input power is on the order of 210 kW.
The system is designed for fully automatic operation with remote data monitoring and printer/plotting capability.
The paper will describe details of the process design, mechanical features, and performance test results.