The present invention relates to a cryogen-gas liquefaction system (1) and method comprising: a storage container (2) comprising a liquid storage portion (3) and a neck portion (4) with a liquefaction region (8) above said bath (7); a coldhead (9) arranged at the neck portion (4) comprising one or more refrigeration stages (10, 11); a gas intake module (12) containing an amount of gas-phase cryogen for its introduction into the storage container (2); and a pressure control mechanism (13) for controlling the cryogen gas pressure within the liquefaction region (8) of the storage container (2). Advantageously, the coldhead (9) further comprises: a refrigeration compressor (17) for distributing gas-phase cryogen inside the coldhead (9); one or more extraction orifices (22) communicating a gas circulation circuit inside the coldhead (9) with the external region of the refrigeration stages (10, 11), acting as pass-through ports (23); and a gas injection source (19) connected with the gas circulation circuit of said refrigeration compressor (17) through a gas injection valve (20), that maintains a total amount of gas constant in the compressor gas circuit, to compensate for the amount of gas extracted and liquefied through the extraction orifices (22).

The present invention relates to a cryogen-gas liquefaction system (1) and method comprising: a storage container (2) comprising a liquid storage portion (3) and a neck portion (4) with a liquefaction region (8) above said bath (7); a coldhead (9) arranged at the neck portion (4) comprising one or more refrigeration stages (10, 11); a gas intake module (12) containing an amount of gas-phase cryogen for its introduction into the storage container (2); and a pressure control mechanism (13) for controlling the cryogen gas pressure within the liquefaction region (8) of the storage container (2). Advantageously, the coldhead (9) further comprises: a refrigeration compressor (17) for distributing gas-phase cryogen inside the coldhead (9); one or more extraction orifices (22) communicating a gas circulation circuit inside the coldhead (9) with the external region of the refrigeration stages (10, 11), acting as pass-through ports (23); and a gas injection source (19) connected with the gas circulation circuit of said refrigeration compressor (17) through a gas injection valve (20), that maintains a total amount of gas constant in the compressor gas circuit, to compensate for the amount of gas extracted and liquefied through the extraction orifices (22).

A device intended for cooling an object being moved within a cryostat comprises a heat transfer section forming a contact surface for said object and means for fastening the heat transfer section to a cooling structure in such a way that said contact surface remains free. The device comprises a spring section which is separate from said heat transfer section and which is arranged to exert on the heat transfer section a spring force pushing said contact surface in a direction in which it is intended to contact said object.

A device intended for cooling an object being moved within a cryostat comprises a heat transfer section forming a contact surface for said object and means for fastening the heat transfer section to a cooling structure in such a way that said contact surface remains free. The device comprises a spring section which is separate from said heat transfer section and which is arranged to exert on the heat transfer section a spring force pushing said contact surface in a direction in which it is intended to contact said object.

A vertical support rigidly mounted to a planar base positions and supports a cryocooler expander unit off axis and away from a sample to be examined. The sample support is likewise rigidly mounted to the planar base with a rigidly mounted sample housing therein. The cryocooler expander unit is suspended in the vertical support by spring dampening bearings. A pair of opposing flexible vacuum bellows connects the cryocooler expander unit to the sample housing and vertical support. This configuration isolates the sample from vibration. Flexible thermal links associated with a predictive electronic closed loop control sequence maintains sample temperature.

Disclosed is a thermoacoustic engine having: resonance pipes including a working gas; motors; and a branch pipe, where each of the motors has a regenerator, a heater, and a cooler, a temperature gradient is given between both ends of the regenerator to generate self-excited oscillation of the working gas, a channel cross-sectional area of the resonance pipe that is coupled to the heater is expanded by a same amplification factor of a work flow based on the self-excited oscillation or by an amplification factor within a range of ±30% of the amplification factor of the work flow to a channel cross-sectional area of a resonance pipe that is coupled to the cooler, and a channel cross-sectional area of the regenerator is set by 4 to 36 times of the channel cross-sectional area of the resonance pipe that is coupled to the cooler.

A method is provided of operating a cryogenic cooling system, in which a target region for receiving a sample is cooled by a dilution refrigerator containing an operational fluid. Firstly any operational fluid is removed from the dilution refrigerator. Target apparatus comprising the sample is loaded from a high temperature location to the target region. The target apparatus is then pre-cooled in the target region to a first temperature using a mechanical refrigerator. The operational fluid is then supplied to the dilution refrigerator and the dilution refrigerator operated so as to cool the target apparatus in the target location to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature. A suitable system for performing the method is also disclosed.

A method is provided of operating a cryogenic cooling system, in which a target region for receiving a sample is cooled by a dilution refrigerator containing an operational fluid. Firstly any operational fluid is removed from the dilution refrigerator. Target apparatus comprising the sample is loaded from a high temperature location to the target region. The target apparatus is then pre-cooled in the target region to a first temperature using a mechanical refrigerator. The operational fluid is then supplied to the dilution refrigerator and the dilution refrigerator operated so as to cool the target apparatus in the target location to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature. A suitable system for performing the method is also disclosed.

A cryogenic refrigerator includes a compressor which compresses a working gas, a housing which includes a space which the working gas compressed by the compressor flows into and flows from, a cylinder of which an end is connected to the housing and which includes an expansion space at the other end, and a displacer which permits flowing of the working gas into and from the expansion space via a working gas channel provided in an inner portion of the displacer while reciprocating in an inner portion of the cylinder. The working gas flows through a pipe which communicates with the space and the working gas channel.

A cryostat with improved accessibility for experiments includes a cooling device, a vacuum chamber and multiple cooling levels, heat shields and experimentation places. The cooling device is thermally coupled to cooling levels that have different temperatures. The experimentation places are at the temperatures of the cooling levels and are arranged side by side when viewed from above such that each experimentation place is accessible from above and from the side. Each cooling level has an associated heat shield that also encloses an experimentation place. The vacuum chamber encloses the cooling levels. The cold plate of a second cooling level is arranged above the cold plate of a first cooling level such that a portion of the first cold plate protrudes laterally from under the second cold plate. An experimentation place is disposed above the protruding portion of the first cold plate and is accessible from above and from the side.