EPFL Helium liquefaction and recovery system
mailto:helium.liquide@epfl.ch
System

System Layout on EPFL campus

System layout: liquefaction and main recovery at CRPP

Liquefaction

Recovery system

Mobile dewars

Transport

Data Acquisition

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System Layout: global system on EPFL Campus

 

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System Layout: liquefaction and main recovery system at CRPP

System Layout

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Liquefaction system

  • Liquefaction Capacity
    • 35 l/h without LN2 pre-cooling
    • 70 l/h with LN2 pre-cooling

 

  • Liquid Helium Storage Dewar
    • 5000l
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Gaseous Helium Recovery system

Main recovery system at CRPP

  • Capacity
    • two compressors with a maximum flow of 50m3/h each.
    • This capacity corresponds to an evaporation of 130 l/h of liquid helium.
    • Maximum pressure 200bar
  • Storage Volume
    • 9 spheres of 3.75m3 each
    • The total capacity of the 9 spheres corresponds to 9000l of liquid helium
    • Maximum pressure 200bar
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Recovery system in PH and BSP buildings

  • PH building

In the basement of the PH buildinga a gas turbine connected to 15m3 gas balloon pushes the helium gas toward the main recovery system installed at CRPP.

This balloon recovers gas from:

PH building

CH building

 

 

     

  • BSP building

In the basement of the BSP buildinga a gas turbine connected to 15m3 gas balloon pushes the helium gas toward the main recovery system installed at CRPP.

This balloon recovers gas from:

BSP building

BCH building

 

Recovery manifolds installed in each laboratory

  • Each laboratory connected to the helium recovery system is equipped with a recovery manifold composed by the following elements:
    • main entry valve
    • non-return valve
    • pressure guage
    • by-pass
    • gas coounter
    • manual recovery valves

When recovering important quantity of cold gas such that the recovery manifolds might freeze, the by-pass has to be used in order to avoid damaging the gas counter.

     

 

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Mobile dewars

Mobile dewars

Type
Capacity No.
RH38
38 [l] 6
RH65
65 [l] 20
RH100
100 [l] 10
RH250 250 [l] 1
RH450
450 [l] 2

It is important that the mobile dewars are returned for refilling at the earliset convenience due to the following reasons:

  1. The number of dewars being finite, it is important that the operator has available the maximum number of dewars for preparing the orders placed by your colleagues (This is particularly true for the most demanded RH65 model).
  2. If the operator has not available a dewar with a capacity equal to the amount of ordered helium, he will deliver in a different dewar type (larger or smaller) with the closest capacity corresponding to the ordered quantity
  3. The mobile dewars should be returned cold (i.e. at Helium temperature) in order to minimize the outgassing during refilling

 

 

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Transport on Campus

  • A dedicated vehicle is used for transport of the dewars to the different
  • The delivery of helium is done twice a week on Monday and Thursday morning between 8h-12h.
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Data Acquisition

 

  • A data acquisition of the entire helium gas recovery system distributed on the EPFL campus is being developped at CRPP.

 

  • At present the data acquisition for the main recovery system located at CRPP has been succesfully put in operation. The completion of the system including the data acquisition form the PH abd BSP building is underway.

     

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Webmaster: S. Alberti/CRPP-EPFL, Last modification: 18/01/2007