Fermilab Central Helium Liquefier Operations

Conference · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983 · Submitted to Adv.Cryog.Eng.

OSTI ID:1038151

Hodge, G A; Rihel, R K; Stone, M E; Walker, R J

The Central Helium Liquefier (CHL), in conjunction with 24 satellite refrigerators, supplies refrigeration for the Fermilab superconducting accelerator. Liquid from the CHL is transported in a six kilometer circular transfer line and each satellite withdraws the amount required to boost its refrigeration capacity to the necessary level. Unused liquid is presently returned to compressor suction through a 250 kW calorimeter-heater. A helium gas flow of 1.1 kg/s is supplied to the cold box at 15 bars pressure. The gas flows through a demister and an oil adsorgber before it enters the cold box. In the cold box, manufactured by Koch Process Systems and Sulzer Brothers, Ltd., the gas is first cooled by liquid nitrogen and then the flow is split. Three quarters of the flow is further cooled by a series/parallel combination of three oil bearing turbines and then returned to the low pressure side of the heat exchangers. The return gas is used to cool the remaining high pressure gas which is then expanded to 3.5 bars in a 900 L receiver. From there the fluid is transferred into a distribution box, and then routed to either a collection dewar, directly to the ring, or to a heater. The liquid helium, which is utilized by the satellites to increase their cooling capacity, is warmed to near ambient temperature in the satellite heat exchangers. The satellite compressors return the excess inventory to the CHL via a 20 bar gas header. This gas is injected into the high pressure supply to the cold box. The system is shown.

• Research Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), Batavia, IL
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE Office of Science
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-07CH11359
• OSTI ID: 1038151
• Report Number(s): FERMILAB-CONF-81-123-AD
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Submitted to Adv.Cryog.Eng.
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
Accelerators
BEARINGS
CAPACITY
COMPRESSORS
DISTRIBUTION
FERMILAB
GAS FLOW
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HELIUM
NITROGEN
REFRIGERATION
REFRIGERATORS
SATELLITES
TURBINES
VAPOR CONDENSERS