Features of
Liquid Helium Plants:
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- Allows user to liquefy 12 and 18 liters/day of Helium from any room temperature source
- Units operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week reliably, automatically and safely
- RS232 computer interface allows for integration into a laboratory control network
- Automatic liquid level indicator
- Mounted on a cart with wheels allowing the plant to be moved to the users application when filling
- <24 hours between start up and liquid helium production
- Designed to be highly reliable with long mean times between maintenance
- Tool kit, some spare parts and manual for installation and maintenance included with initial purchase
- Fully automatic pressure controls
- Safe for laboratory use
Liquid Helium Plants
|Liquid Helium Plant 12L / Day | Liquid Helium Plant 18L / Day
Cryomech, Inc. now manufactures Liquid Helium Plants. The Plants allow the user to liquefy 12 and 18 liters/day of Helium from any room temperature source. Laboratories can now manage their own liquid Helium consumption and conservation. With a properly sized Helium recovery system, facilities with several cryostats with different boil off rates can use one Liquid Helium Plant. Additional Helium can be added to the system from cylinders.
All Cryomech Liquid Helium Plants work with exactly the same group of components:
Cryorefrigerator: The LHeP12 and LHeP18 use a Cryomech 4K Pulse Tube Cryocooler to liquefy Helium inside a production dewar. The Helium condenses on the 4K second stage of the PTR then drips to the bottom of the dewar. The unique properties of the Pulse Tube Cryocoolers enable the high production rates and low input power for each system. Cryomech has been manufacturing 4K Pulse Tube Cryocoolers since 1999. The 4K PTRs have an unmatched record for reliability and long mean time between maintenance, which dramatically reduce the cost of operation.
Dewar Assembly, Level Indication and Extraction: The LHePs are designed to operate continuously, if required. An automatic liquid level indicator will shut the plant down when the production dewar is full or there is an interruption in the supply of Helium into the dewar. The system will automatically restart after a short period of time to prevent Helium from escaping the dewar (this is done pneumatically). After the user has extracted liquid, it will automatically re-start. This is controlled by the liquid level gauge.
Extraction Line:
The customer is responsible for the 99.8% pure Helium gas supply. All impurities entering the LHePs (the production dewar) will freeze to the outside of the 4K PTR. Some of the impurities will eventually drop to the bottom of the dewar. When the impurity levels in the gaseous Helium are too high, the impurities will build up a layer of solid impurity, reducing the heat transfer into the PTR, reducing the liquefaction rate. (None of the components have been damaged.) The procedures for the recovery from such an event, is to transfer out all the liquid Helium, warm up the dewar, evacuate out the contaminants, then recharge the system with Helium and restart the LHeP. These procedures are straight forward with a 2 stage vacuum pump and a cylinder of 99% pure helium. The most time consuming part of this process is warming up the dewar assembly.
For the proper installation into your laboratory you will need to consider a recovery system or plan to use gaseous Helium. A standard size single cylinder of Helium is equal to approximately 8 liters of Liquid Helium. The LHeP is an opportunity to manage your Liquid Helium consumption, but it is only part of the solution. The rest of the solution is your recovery system and proper procedures implemented and followed by the laboratory team.