Cryogenic refrigeration installation

Abstract

Cryogenic refrigeration installation comprising a refrigerator comprising a cryogenic cycle fluid, a chamber which delimits a sealed volume under reduced pressure, at least one thermally conductive plate which is accommodated in the chamber, at least one heat exchanger which is different from the plates and which is associated with one of the plates, the exchanger having a volume which is delimited by a working surface, a fastening surface and a fluid connection surface, a cooling circuit ensuring a circulation of the cycle fluid inside the volume of the exchanger(s) for a heat exchange of the cycle fluid with the plates via the exchangers, the working surface of the exchangers being configured to receive at least a portion of a device to be thermalized.

1 . A cryogenic refrigeration installation comprising:
 a refrigerator comprising a cryogenic cycle fluid;   a chamber which delimits a vacuum volume under reduced pressure;   at least one thermally conductive plate which is accommodated in the chamber;   at least one heat exchanger which is distinct from the plate(s) and which is associated with one of the plates, the at least one heat exchanger having a volume which is delimited by a working surface, a fastening surface and a fluid connection surface,   a cooling circuit configured to ensure a circulation of the cycle fluid inside the volume of the at least one heat exchanger for a heat exchange of the cycle fluid with the plates via the at least one heat exchanger,   wherein the working surface of the exchangers being configured to receive at least a portion of the device to be thermalized.   
     
     
         2 . The installation as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the cooling circuit comprises one or more channel(s) which is/are integrated in the volume of the exchangers and which is/are configured to distribute the cycle fluid in the volume of the exchangers. 
     
     
         3 . The installation as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the surface-area of the working surface is greater than the surface-area of the fluid connection surface, in particular the surface-area of the working surface is at least five times greater than the surface-area of the fluid connection surface. 
     
     
         4 . The installation as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein it comprises fixing members which are associated with each exchanger and which are configured to establish and maintain contact between the device to be cooled and the exchanger. 
     
     
         5 . The installation as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the fixing members comprise one or more fastening structures which are configured to cooperate with combined structures of a device to be cooled in order to enable a removable fixing of the device to be cooled to the exchanger, the fastening structure being in particular selected from: a tapping, a threading, a hole, a groove, a pin, a pressure system, a spring clamp. 
     
     
         6 . The installation as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the fixing members comprise at least one housing which is recessed in the working surface and which is configured to accommodate at least a portion of a device to be cooled. 
     
     
         7 . The installation as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the working surface comprises a first portion which is provided with fixing members and a second portion which has no fixing members and which is configured to be in direct contact with a device to be cooled when it is held in contact with the exchanger via the fixing members, the thickness of the wall of the exchanger being greater in the region of the first portion than in the region of the second portion. 
     
     
         8 . The installation as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerator is configured to cool the cycle fluid outside the chamber and the cooling circuit is configured to convey the cooled cycle fluid inside the chamber and to remove the heated cycle fluid from the chamber. 
     
     
         9 . The installation as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the plate(s) is/are horizontal in a configuration for use and the heat exchangers are fixed to the upper face and/or to the lower face of the plates. 
     
     
         10 . The installation as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fastening surface of the exchangers is substantially planar and fixed to the corresponding plate in order to be in direct contact with the surface of the plate. 
     
     
         11 . The installation as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the working surface of the exchanger comprises one or more planes which are parallel with the fastening surface and which are each arranged at a different respective distance from the fastening surface. 
     
     
         12 . The installation as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the working surface of the exchanger comprises one or more planes which is/are inclined relative to the fastening surface. 
     
     
         13 . The installation as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the cooling circuit comprises pipes which comprise a first portion which extends from the fluid connection surface of an exchanger in a direction orthogonal or oblique relative to the surface. 
     
     
         14 . The installation as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the pipes comprise a second portion which is parallel with the fluid connection surface of the exchanger, the first and the second pipe portions being connected to each other by means of a bend. 
     
     
         15 . The installation as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein it comprises at least one thermal screen which is fixedly joined to one of the plates, the thermal screen defining a volume which is thermalized at a predetermined temperature. 
     
     
         16 . The installation as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising at least two plates and wherein the cooling circuit comprises pipes which connect the heat exchangers to each other, the pipes being configured to supply the exchangers with cryogenic cycle fluid in series or in parallel. 
     
     
         17 . The installation as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the cooling circuit comprises pipes which extend through at least one of the plates or at least one of the thermal screens, in particular via openings which comprise local contacts. 
     
     
         18 . The installation as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising at least one subkelvin refrigerator, in particular a dilution refrigerator, which is fixedly joined to at least one of the plates. 
     
     
         19 . A method for cooling a device that produces heat to be dissipated, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing the installation as claimed in  claim 1 , and   fixing at least a portion of the power producing device to the working surface of a heat exchanger in order to dissipate the power produced by the device via the exchanger.