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US3914950A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Helium refrigerator

Assignee: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
•
Filing: 1974-06-12
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Granted: 1975-10-28
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Expires: 1994-06-12
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Abstract

Abstract An improved helium refrigerator of the type which includes a plurality of counter-flow heat exchangers and has a maximum reserve cooling capacity when the final or low-temperature heat exchanger is substantially filled with liquid helium, and a minimum reserve cooling capacity when the low-temperature heat exchanger is substantially filled with gas. An electrical bridge circuit including a pair of temperature-responsive resistors is mounted on the low-temperature heat exchanger for providing a continuous indication of the reserve cooling capacity of the refrigerator.

Inventors

  • 👤 James C Administrator Fletcher
  • 👤 Ervin R Wiebe

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-28 08:48
CPC Classifications
F; F25; F25B; F25B9/00; F25B9/10; F17; F17C; F17C13/00; F17C13/02; F17C13/026

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 3
Claim 1
Independent Claim 206 words
IN COMBINATION WITH A HELIUM REFRIGERATOR OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A LOW-TEMPERATURE COUNTER-FLOW HEAT EXCHANGE ADAPTED TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED WITH HELIUM IN A GASEOUS STATE AS WELL AS IN A LIQUID STATE, ENCASED IN A RELATIVELY THIN EXTERNAL JACKET FORMED OF THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL AND HAVING A MAXIMUM REVERSE COOLING CAPACITY WHEN THE HEAT EXCHANGER IS SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED WITH LIQUID HELIUM AND MINIMUM RESERVE COOLING CAPACITY WHEN THE HEAT EXCHANGER IS SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED WITH HELIUM IN A GASEOUS STATE, MEANS FOR PROVIDING A CONTINUOUS INDICATION OF THE RESERVE COOLING CAPACITY OF SAID REFRIGETOR, INCLUDING: A. A PAIR OF MUTALLY SPACED ELECTRICAL RESISTORS MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATION ON THE EXTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID JACKET, NEAR THE UPPERMOST END THEREOF, EACH BEING CHARACTERIZED BY A LOGARITHMIC COEFFICIENT OF RESISTANCE INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO TEMPERATURE, AND B. CIRCUIT MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY PROVIDING INTELLIGENCE INDICATIVE OF TEMPERATURE INDUCED CHANGES IN THE DIFFERENTIAL IN THE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVELY OF SAID PAIR OF RESISTORS INCLUDING, MEANS CONNECTING SAID PAIR OF RESOSTORS IN ELECTRICAL PARALLELISM WITHIN A COMMON ELECTRICAL BRIDGE CIRCUIT, MEAND FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLYING A COMMON VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID RESISTORS, AND MEANS INCLUDING A VOLTMETER CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID RESISTORS FOR COMPARING TEMPERATURE INDUCED CHANGES IN VOLTAGE DROPS ACROSS THE RESISTORS OF SAID PAIR.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 206 words
IN COMBINATION WITH A HELIUM REFRIGERATOR OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A LOW-TEMPERATURE COUNTER-FLOW HEAT EXCHANGE ADAPTED TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED WITH HELIUM IN A GASEOUS STATE AS WELL AS IN A LIQUID STATE, ENCASED IN A RELATIVELY THIN EXTERNAL JACKET FORMED OF THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL AND HAVING A MAXIMUM REVERSE COOLING CAPACITY WHEN THE HEAT EXCHANGER IS SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED WITH LIQUID HELIUM AND MINIMUM RESERVE COOLING CAPACITY WHEN THE HEAT EXCHANGER IS SUBSTANTIALLY FILLED WITH HELIUM IN A GASEOUS STATE, MEANS FOR PROVIDING A CONTINUOUS INDICATION OF THE RESERVE COOLING CAPACITY OF SAID REFRIGETOR, INCLUDING: A. A PAIR OF MUTALLY SPACED ELECTRICAL RESISTORS MOUNTED IN SPACED RELATION ON THE EXTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID JACKET, NEAR THE UPPERMOST END THEREOF, EACH BEING CHARACTERIZED BY A LOGARITHMIC COEFFICIENT OF RESISTANCE INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO TEMPERATURE, AND B. CIRCUIT MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY PROVIDING INTELLIGENCE INDICATIVE OF TEMPERATURE INDUCED CHANGES IN THE DIFFERENTIAL IN THE ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVELY OF SAID PAIR OF RESISTORS INCLUDING, MEANS CONNECTING SAID PAIR OF RESOSTORS IN ELECTRICAL PARALLELISM WITHIN A COMMON ELECTRICAL BRIDGE CIRCUIT, MEAND FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLYING A COMMON VOLTAGE ACROSS SAID RESISTORS, AND MEANS INCLUDING A VOLTMETER CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID RESISTORS FOR COMPARING TEMPERATURE INDUCED CHANGES IN VOLTAGE DROPS ACROSS THE RESISTORS OF SAID PAIR.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 24 words
The improvement of claim 1 wherein each of said electrical resistance means comprises a carbon resistor characterized by a maximum resistance at 4.4* K.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US1833112A Cited
US1942241A Cited
US1962187A Cited
US3138023A Cited
US3280620A Cited
US3415070A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1978-10-27 1979-04-28 1979-10-28 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1982-10-27 1983-04-28 1983-10-28 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1986-10-27 1987-04-28 1987-10-28 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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