Uses of Cryogenic Helium Refrigerators in High-tech Industry

In the high-tech field, an ultra-low temperature environment is a key prerequisite for ensuring stable equipment operation and promoting technological breakthroughs.

Helium refrigerators achieve the extremely low temperatures (2-20K, approximately -271°C to -253°C) required in high-tech fields, and are the core equipment in high-tech fields.

What are Helium Refrigerators?

A helium refrigerator is a specialized cryogenic equipment that uses helium as the working medium to achieve ultra-low temperature refrigeration through a closed-loop cycle. The core principle of helium is to use a helium compressor to obtain high-pressure helium, part of the high-pressure helium is expanded by a turbo-expander to generate cold, the remaining high-pressure helium is gradually cooled down through a multi-stage heat exchanger, and finally liquefied by a Joule-Thomson throttle valve, resulting in liquid helium for refrigeration.

Unlike ordinary refrigeration equipment, helium refrigerators can achieve ultra-low temperature control of 2-20K, and the evaporated helium can be recovered and recycled.

Core Advantages of Cryogenic Helium Refrigerators

1. Ultra-low temperature. Helium refrigerators can stably realize ultra-low temperature environment of 2-20K, and can even approach milli-kelvin (mK) with technology upgrading to meet the needs of quantum computing, superconductivity research and other cutting-edge fields.
2. Precise temperature control, small temperature fluctuation, flexible adjustment according to experimental or production needs, to ensure the stability of equipment operation.
3. Helium can be recycled, the evaporated helium can be returned to the cold box of the refrigeration equipment for recycling, significantly reducing the helium consumption cost – we should know that helium is a scarce resource, recycling can effectively reduce the operating costs of enterprises.
4. Energy efficient, compared with traditional refrigeration methods and cryogenic technologies, helium refrigerators consume less energy, which reduces operating costs.
5. No harmful refrigerant emissions, in line with the trend of green development of high-tech industry and environmental protection requirements.

Helium Refrigerators For Industrial Applications

In the high-end industrial field, the application of helium refrigerators mainly focuses on three directions:

1. Industrial cryogenic storage. Used for long-term storage of high-end materials, precision components, need to maintain long-term temperature uniformity, to avoid material performance damage.
2. Superconductivity technology. Provide ultra-low temperature environment for superconducting motors, superconducting magnets and other equipment to ensure the stability of superconducting performance.
3. High-end manufacturing cooling. In the process of chip manufacturing, precision instrument processing, etc., through helium refrigeration to realize the equipment cooling, reduce the heat generated to enhance product accuracy and qualification rate. For example, in the process of chip manufacturing, the cooling accuracy of core components directly affects the performance of the chip, helium cooler can realize precise temperature control, help high-end chip manufacturing.

Helium Refrigerators Used in Aerospace Field

The core advantages of helium refrigerators for aerospace applications lie in their lightweight design, low coefficient of thermal expansion and stable temperature control.

They are mainly used for:

1. Cryogenic propellant storage. Helium refrigeration systems store liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen and other propellants in a low-temperature environment to reduce vapor pressure and enhance storage safety and capacity.
2. Satellite power supply system. It provides a low-temperature environment for the radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) of the satellite to ensure stable power supply.

3. Spacecraft temperature control. Cooling down the core components of the spacecraft, avoiding damage to the equipment caused by extreme temperature changes in the space environment, and supporting the smooth operation of long-term space missions. For example, the liquid hydrogen refueling of China’s Long March 5B launch vehicle needs to rely on low-temperature refrigeration technology to ensure storage safety.

Helium Refrigerators Used in Medical Field

The helium refrigerators  used in the medical field mainly focuses on cryotherapy and high-end medical equipment:

1. Cryotherapy, using liquid helium or helium-oxygen gas mixture (heliox) of the ultra-low temperature characteristics of the treatment of tumors, periodontal disease and other diseases, through the exposure of diseased tissues in the ultra-low temperature environment, the precise removal of abnormal cells, and does not damage the surrounding healthy tissues.
2. Cosmetic medicine, used for skin tightening, fat reduction, facial contouring and other projects, through the ultra-low temperature to stimulate skin collagen regeneration, to achieve cosmetic effects.
3. High-end medical equipment temperature control, to provide ultra-low temperature environment for superconducting magnets of MRI and other equipments, to ensure the imaging precision and operational stability of the equipments.

Helium Refrigerators for Scientific Research

Cryogenic helium refrigerators are indispensable core equipment in the field of cutting-edge scientific research and are mainly used in three directions:

1. Superconducting linear gas pedal experiments. To provide the core components of the gas pedal with an ultra-low temperature environment to ensure the smooth conduct of experiments;
2. Nuclear fusion experiments. Provide a stable ultra-low temperature environment for the superconducting magnets of nuclear fusion devices to help breakthroughs in controlled nuclear fusion technology.
3. Low-temperature testing system. Provide an environment for the low-temperature performance testing of high-end materials and precision instruments. In addition, the field of quantum computing is also inseparable from the helium cooler, which needs to be in the milli-kelvin level low-temperature environment in order to maintain the coherence of quantum bits.

China’s first 10,000-watt helium refrigerator is being unveiled to promote the development of cutting-edge scientific research.

Fullcryo 20K Helium Refrigerator Cryogenic Solution

Fullcryo 20K helium refrigerator adopts helium reverse turbine-Brayton cycle technology, which can stably realize 20K ultra-low temperature refrigeration, with high temperature control precision and small temperature fluctuation, and is suitable for the cryogenic needs of most high-tech industries.

20k Helium Refrigerator Component

The core configuration of this model includes a compressor, 20K cold box, control system, helium buffer tank, oil removal system, etc. The 20K cold box adopts a vacuum insulation design, and contains a multi-stage heat exchanger, turbo-expander, internal adsorber, cryogenic valves, and measuring components to ensure cooling efficiency and stability; the control system has automated operation capability, and unattended operation can be realized.

The core components of the cryogenic equipment are highly reliable products with low maintenance frequency, which can effectively reduce the maintenance cost and downtime of the enterprise.

20K Helium Refrigerator Advantages

The core advantages of the Fullcryo 20K helium refrigerator are reflected in three aspects:

1. High efficiency and energy saving, compared to traditional models, energy consumption is greatly reduced, which can help enterprises to reduce operating costs.
2. Low maintenance, high reliability of core components, low maintenance requirements, reducing labor and material costs.
3. Automated operation, can realize standard daytime hourly operation, no need for 3-shift guarding.

Successful Case of Helium Refrigerator in High-tech Field

Fullcryo has specialized in the field of cryogenics for 10 years, providing cryogenic solutions encompassing cryogenic engineering design, manufacturing, installation, and operation and maintenance. To date, the company has established numerous collaborative partnerships.

Case 1: 200W@4.5K helium refrigerator

In January 2019, the first 200W@4.5K helium refrigerator exported to south korea from Fullcryo. It was successfully applied to the cryogenic condensate pumping system of the KSTAR-NBI (Neutral Beam Injector) upgrade project at the National Fusion Research Institute of Korea. The project is a large-scale scientific facility, which requires high temperature control accuracy and operational stability of helium refrigerators.

Case 2: 2kW@20K helium refrigerator

In November 2020, Fullcryo successfully passed the acceptance test for the China Institute of Atomic Energy Science (under China National Nuclear Corporation) supplied的2kW@4.5K cryogenic helium refrigerator and put it into experimental use in superconducting linear gas pedal.

Case 3: 4kW@4.5K helium refrigerator

In June 2023, 4kW@4.5Khelium refrigerator was officially put into use in the Advanced Energy Science and Technology Laboratory in Guangdong, China, providing stable ultra-low temperature support for the laboratory’s cryogenic test system.

Future Trends of Helium Refrigerator in High-tech Industry

Fullcryo has participated in cryogenic industry exhibitions for many years and predicts that the future development of helium refrigerators will show 4 trends:

1. More efficient, through the optimization of technology, to further improve refrigeration efficiency, reduce energy consumption, to help enterprises reduce operating costs.
2. More miniaturized, adapting to the needs of small laboratories, small spacecraft and other scenarios, and realizing lightweight design.
3. It is more intelligent, improving the automation control level of the equipment, realizing remote monitoring, reducing manual intervention, and improving the stability of operation.
4. More environmentally friendly, to further optimize the helium recovery technology, reduce resource waste.

Conclusion: Helium Refrigerator

For high-tech enterprises and scientific research institutions, choosing the right cryogenic helium refrigerator is the key to ensure the smooth running of experiments and production. Contact Fullcryo for reliable customized cryogenic technology solutions for all types of needs.