Research instruments and detectors in physics tend to be large facilities in need of dedicated cryogenic cooling systems. Stirling Cryogenics will design such system based on the application needs. These custom design systems will include our own Stirling Cryogenerators and/or CryoFans, combined with other components such as vessels, valves and measuring equipment to supply a total integrated cooling system. Many of these Research applications are unique in set-up and hence also in specific design of our cooling systems.
Nuclear Physics: cooling of neutron fluxes. Goal is to achieve slower neutrons, enabling enlarged interaction with materials and hence better output of the instruments. Stirling Cryogenerators are used to re-liquefy methane or hydrogen, cryogenic liquids which are used as cold moderators. Liquid Hydrogen Plants LNG BOG management systems Cooling of laser amplifiers: the crystals used in a laser amplifier become efficient at temperatures around 80K. To avoid optical pollution, helium gas, is circulated around the crystals. Circulation is done by our CryoFans and cooling is done by our Stirling Cryogenerators. Cryogenerators Cryofans
Liquid argon neutrino detectors: a large bath of high purity argon is used to ‘catch’ neutrinos, colliding occasionally with an argon nucleus creating a photon which can be detected. Given the high purity of the LAr, the remote underground site and the cost of argon, the LAr must be protected from boiling off. Stirling Cryogenics has supplied systems to indirectly cool the LAr bath with a closed liquid nitrogen loop. Liquid Nitrogen Cooling System
Measurement of radioactivity: these detectors are used to detect radioactivity in areas like Chernobyl and the Polynesian Islands. They need to be cooled with LN2 to function, for which a StirLIN system is used as a local production facility. Nuclear site of Chernobyl, Ukraine Liquid nitrogen production systems
Shielding of low temperature devices: in physics, many devices are cooled at LHe temperatures. To protect these from incoming heat, they are shielded to adsorb this heat before it reaches the actual cold instrument such as LTS magnets. These shields are cooled with helium gas at around 20K using CryoFans and with LN2 at 80K. In both cases Stirling Cryogenerators are used for the cooling of these flows.
Space Propulsion: new kinds of motors like ion flux drives are being developed. These are tested in vacuum chambers and need cooling power for heat shielding and for cryopumping of the vacuum at high pumping speeds required because of the gas flux ejected from the flux drive. Cryogenerators
Instrument Cooling: Many different scientific instruments require cooling at cryogenic temperatures. Depending the instrument requirements and heat-exchanger set-up, cooling can be based on cryogenic liquid (mostly Liquid Nitrogen) or cryogenic gas flow (typically Helium) in a temperature range of 150-18 Kelvin (-120°C to -260°C). Cryogenerators
