Engineering the Big Chill: The story of JLab’s Central Helium Liquefier
- Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
This article tells the story of the Central Helium Liquefier (CHL) at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab), one of the US National Laboratories. JLab’s successful superconducting radio frequency accelerator was only possible because a group of JLab engineers successfully tackled a complex of difficulties to build a cryogenic system that included the CHL, a task that required advancing the frontier of cryogenic technology. Ultimately, these cryogenic advances were applied far beyond JLab to the benefit of cutting-edge programs at other US national laboratories (Oak Ridge, Brookhaven, and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at MSU) as well as NASA. In addition, this innovation story dramatizes the sort of engineer-driven technological problem solving that allows the successful launch and operation of experimental projects. Along the way, the CHL story also provides an important addition to our understanding of the role played by engineers and industry in creating knowledge at physics laboratories.
- Research Organization:
- Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-06OR23177
- OSTI ID:
- 1326568
- Report Number(s):
- JLAB-PHY-14-2002; DOE/OR/23177-3925; PII: 127
- Journal Information:
- Physics in Perspective, Vol. 16, Issue 1; ISSN 1422-6944
- Publisher:
- SpringerCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Overview and Status of the 12 GeV Cryogenic System Upgrade At Jlab
OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF THE UPGRADED CRYOGENIC SYSTEMS AT THE NSCL