EAGER: CRYO: Sub-Kelvin Refrigerator using a Superfluid Helium Vortex Cooling Principle

EAGER：CRYO：使用超流氦涡流冷却原理的亚开尔文冰箱

• 批准号: 2232649
• 负责人: Hong Tang
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Yale University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2232649&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; CRYO; Sub; Kelvin; Refrigerator

This EArly-concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) supports the development of a new type of refrigerators that reaches 1K based on the design of new two-stage cooling approaches. This temperature range is needed for physicalists to demonstrate novel quantum phenomena, for materials scientists to discover new form of materials, and for astronomers to develop extremely sensitive detectors. The need for sub-1K temperatures has been increased with the advent of new quantum computers, currently operating in these temperature ranges. Current technology for such cooling relies on a rare isotope of helium (Helium-3) as a necessary component of the refrigeration fluid to reach this temperature. The stockpile of helium is depleting worldwide, and new technologies are needed to meet the new demand for cooling and refrigeration below 1K without the use of diminishing He-3 gases. This grant also trains students in this important area increasing the workforce.The combination of a superfluid vortex cooler (SVC) and a Joule-Thompson precooler is researched to achieve high-capacity sub-kelvin cooling without the use of He-3 in the system. The complete system is closed cycle with zero helium boiloff. Benefiting from the fountain-pump effect of superfluid helium-4, the superfluid vortex cooler does not require any moving parts or an external pump, is compact, and can be conveniently attached to various types of precooling stages that reach a temperature below 2K for heat rejection. The complete system would be compact and provide significant cooling capacity ( 1mW) at 0.9K, with a theoretical cooling limit of 0.65K. This research program will analyze and design the system based on a thermal analysis of the energy transfer. The program will build a prototype cooler and benchmark the performance against estimates.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

这项探索性研究（急切）的早期概念赠款支持了新型冰箱的开发，该冰箱基于新的两阶段冷却方法的设计达到1K。 物理学家需要这种温度范围来证明新型的量子现象，材料科学家发现新的材料形式，并使天文学家开发出极为敏感的探测器。随着新量子计算机目前在这些温度范围内运行的新量子计算机的出现，对亚1K温度的需求已增加。这种冷却的当前技术依赖于稀有的氦同位素（氦3）作为制冷液的必要组成部分，以达到该温度。氦气的储备在全球范围内正在耗尽，需要新技术来满足1K以下冷却和制冷的新需求，而无需使用HE-3气体减少。该赠款还培训了这一重要领域的学生，从而增加了劳动力。完整的系统是封闭的循环，其氦沸腾为零。超级流体氦-4的喷泉泵效应受益，超级流体涡流冷却器不需要任何运动部件或外部泵，是紧凑的，并且可以方便地连接到各种类型的预冷阶段，这些预冷阶段达到低于2K的温度，以进行热排斥。完整的系统将是紧凑的，并在0.9K处提供明显的冷却能力（1MW），理论冷却极限为0.65K。 该研究计划将根据能量传输的热分析来分析和设计系统。该计划将建立一个原型冷却器，并根据估计值进行基准测试。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛影响的审查标准来评估值得支持的。