Development of 400-μW cryogen-free dilution refrigerators for quantum experiments

We have successfully developed cryogen-free dilution refrigerators with medium cooling power that can be applied to quantum experiments. Breakthroughs have been made in some key technologies and components of heat switches and dilution units. Our prototype has been running continuously and stably for more than 100 hours below 10 m K, with a minimum temperature of 7.6 m K and a cooling power of 450 μW at 100 m K. At the same time, we have also made progress in the application of dilution refrigerators, such as quantum computing, low-temperature detector, and magnet integration. These indicators and test results indicate good prospects for application in physics, astronomy, and quantum information.

Variations of Frost-free Period and Its Impact on Grain Yields in Henan Province during 1961-2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the responses of frost dates to global warming and its influences on grain yields. In this study, based on the frost date series defined by daily minimum ground temperature, the spatial and temporal characteristics of first frost date （FFD）, last frost date （LFD） and frost-free period （FFP） were analyzed. The impact of extending FFP on major crop yields was also studied. The results were as follows： FFD showed a significantly delaying trend of 2.2 d/10 y, and LFD presented an advancing trend of 2.4 d/10 y. FFP extended at a rate of 4.5 d/10 y due to the later FFD and earlier LFD. The most obvious trend of FFD was in westem Henan, while the most significant trend of LFD and FFP oc- curred in south central parts of the study area. However, in eestem region, the trends of FFD, LFD and FFP were not so obvious. Major crop yield showed a sig- nificant correlation with frost-free period for Henan during 1961-2013. The yields of grain, rice, wheat, and maize increased by 79.5, 90.0, 79.5 and 70.5 kg/hm2 with FFP extending by one day.

Performance characteristics of an energy selective electron refrigerator with double resonances

This paper establishes the energy selective electron （ESE） engine with double resonances as a refrigerator in one dimensional （1D） system. It consists of two infinitely large electron reservoirs with different temperatures and chemical potentials, and they are perfectly thermally insulated from each other and interaction only via a double ＇idealized energy filter＇ whose widths are all finite. Taking advantage of the density of state and Fermi distribution in the 1D system, the heat flux into each reservoir may then be calculated. Moreover, the coefficient of performance may be derived from the expressions for the heat flux into the hot and cold reservoirs. The performance characteristic curves are plotted by numerical analysis. The influences of the resonances widths, the energy position of resonance and the space of two resonances on performance of the ESE refrigerator are discussed. The results obtained here have theoretical significance for the understanding of thermodynamic performance of the micro-nano devices.

Development of permanent magnetic refrigerator at room temperature

A reciprocating magnetic refrigerator was developed based on the active magnetic regeneration technology. Rare earth metal Gd and intermetallic compound LaFe11.2Co0.7Si1.1 were used as the magnetic operating materials in the machine. The particles of the magnetic operating materials, with diameter of 0.5-2 mm and total mass of 950 g, were mounted in the cooling bed. A magnetic field was assembled using NdFeB rare earth permanent magnets. It had the magnetic field space of Φ 34×200 and the magnetic induction of 1.5 T. The water at pH=10 is used as a heat transfer fluid. When the ambient temperature is 296 K, a temperature span of 18 K was achieved after operation of 45 min at a frequency of 0.178 Hz. The temperature span and the output power increase significantly with the increasing velocity of heat transfer.

Performance optimization analysis of a thermoelectric refrigerator with two resonances

Based on electron transport theory, the performance of kx and kr filtered thermoelectric refrigerators with two resonances are studied in this paper. The performance characteristic curves between the cooling rate and the coefficient of performance are plotted by numerical calculation. It is shown that the maximum cooling rate of the thermoelectric refrigerator with two resonances increases but the maximum coefficient of performance decreases compared with those with one resonance. No matter which resonance mechanism is used （kx or kr filtered）, the cooling rate and the performance coefficient of the kr filtered refrigerator are much better than those of the kx filtered one.

Experimental Study of Performance of Thermoelectric Refrigerator under Different Intensity of Heat Emission

Heat emission and the voltage are the main factors affecting the refrigerating capacity of semiconductor refrigerator.Some experiments were designed to obtain their influence on refrigerating capacity of semiconductor and the interaction between heat emission and the voltage.The results show that fixing the heat dissipation,there is an optimal working voltage for the semiconductor module;and if improving the heat emission,the refrigerating capacity increases and the optimal voltage becomes larger.This can provide the basis for the optimal design of semiconductor refrigeration.

A thermal entangled quantum refrigerator based on a two-qubit Heisenberg model with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in an external magnetic field

Based on an isotropic two spin-1/2 qubits Heisenberg model with the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in an ex- ternal magnetic field, we have constructed an entangled quantum refrigerator. Expressions for the basic thermodynamic quantities, i.e., the heat exchanged, the net work input, and the coefficient of performance, are derived. Some intriguing features and their qualitative explanations in zero and non zero magnetic fields are given. The influence of the thermal entanglement on the refrigerator is investigated. The results obtained here have general significance and will be helpful to understand the performance of an entangled quantum refrigerator.

Process Modeling and Dynamic Simulation for EAST Helium Refrigerator

In this paper,the process modeling and dynamic simulation for the EAST helium refrigerator has been completed.The cryogenic process model is described and the main components are customized in detail.The process model is controlled by the PLC simulator,and the realtime communication between the process model and the controllers is achieved by a customized interface.Validation of the process model has been confirmed based on EAST experimental data during the cool down process of 300-80 K.Simulation results indicate that this process simulator is able to reproduce dynamic behaviors of the EAST helium refrigerator very well for the operation of long pulsed plasma discharge.The cryogenic process simulator based on control architecture is available for operation optimization and control design of EAST cryogenic systems to cope with the long pulsed heat loads in the future.

Process Modeling and Control Simulation for a 500W@4.5K Helium Refrigerator

In order to investigate dynamic behaviors of a 500W@ 4.5K helium refrigerator,the process simulator has been completed. The cryogenic process model is described and main components are customized. The realtime communication between the process model and the control system has been achieved. Compared with the preliminary experimental data,the errors of temperatures during the process of 300 K-80 K are less than 10%.The process model is validated to predict the cool-down process very well. The controller parameters are tuned in simulation and applied to the actual refrigerator suitably. Based on the dynamic simulation,the operation of Joule-Thomson( JT) by pass valve has been optimized. And the cool- down process from 300 K to 4. 5 K has been simulated under the control programs. Simulation results indicate that this dynamic simulator based on actual control architecture is available to process control and operation optimization for the helium refrigerators.

Analysis of the Change Trends of Temperature and Frost-free Period in Xingtai in Recent 53 Years

[Objective] The changes trend of temperature and frost-free period in Xingtai in recent 53 years were studied.[Method] According to the climate data of Xingtai City and Nangong County in 1958-2010,the changes trend of the temperature,the first and the last frost day,and the frost-free days in Xingtai were studied.The characteristics of the changes of temperature and frost-free days in Xingtai in recent 53 years were studied.[Result] No matter in city or countryside,the annual average temperature was increasing.The climate tendency rates in Xingtai and Nangong were about 0.5 and 0.2 ℃/10 a respectively.Especially,since 1996,the annual average temperature increasing trend was about 1.0 ℃/10 a.The average temperature of the four seasons was also climbing and was similar to the increasing span of the annual average temperature.The annual average temperature increasing span was the largest in winter.And the increase of the annual average temperature in winter was the largest and the increase of the annual average temperature was caused by the increase of the average temperature in winter.The urban annual average temperature was obviously higher than that of the countryside,which reflected the characteristics of tropical island effect.No matter in the city or the countryside,the early frost day,final frost day and frost-free day showed same tendency,namely,the delay of early frost day,advance of final-frost day,extension of frost-free day;the day of urban early frost was late than that of the countryside,and the final frost day was earlier than that of the countryside,the frost-free days were longer than that of countryside and indirectly influenced by urban heat effect.[Conclusion] The study provided theoretical basis for the development and application of thermal resources in Xingtai.

Development of a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator

With thermal fluctuation strongly suppressed,low temperature environment is essential for studies of condensed matter physics and developments of quantum technologies.Ultra-low temperature below 20 m K has demonstrated its importance and significance in physical sciences and information techniques.Dilution refrigeration is by far the best feasible and reliable method to generate and keep lattice temperature in this range.With a potential shortage of helium supply,cryogen-free dilution refrigerator(CFDR),eliminating the necessity of regular helium refill,becomes the main facility for the purpose of creating ultralow temperature environments.Here we describe our successful construction of a CFDR which reached a base temperature of around 10.9 m K for continuous circulation and 8.6 m K for single-shot operation.We describe its operating mechanism and the designs of key components,especially some unique designs including heat switch and alumina thermal link.Possible improvements in the future are also discussed.

Evaluating the treatment of E-waste──a case study of discarded refrigerators

Disassembly and recycling of E-waste creates a series of environmental problems. The selection of a technologically reliable, environmentally friendly, economically affordable and socially acceptable recycling technology for E-waste is a significant question. This study establishes a Monte-Carlo mathematical model of cost minimization, given the constraints of environmentally sound handling of the e-waste, in the context of Crystal Ball risk assessment and evaluation software. By following the streams of the different treatment processes, which consist of various technologies including disassembly, recycling and disposal, the econom-ics of various possibilities were identified and the optimal recycling technology proposed. The key factors of the proposed scenarios were determined by using sensitivity analysis. The results of this study show that, for discarded refrigerators, the operating life span plays the key role. The model supports maintenance and resale of the short lived refrigerators. For the longer lived refrigerators material recycling is recommended by the model. Sensitivity analysis shows that purchase cost, plastic sale price, condenser sale price and disassembly costs are the main effects. This study provides a significant technical support for policy making in E-waste management.

DETERMINATIONSOFREFRIGERANTCHARGEOFAREFRIGERATORWHENREFRIGERANTISREPLACEDBYR134aORR152a

R134a and R152a are two promising refrigerants to replace R12 that depletes the ozone layer. This paper presents how to determine the charge accurately when R134a or R152a is used to replace R12 for household refrigerators. A lot of experiments are done on a household refrigerator in order to choose a correct void fraction correlation for density calculations in two phase region. For HFC 152a, Hughmark model is fairly accurate, whose error is -6.0% or so. For HFC 134a, both Tandon model and Premoli model can get good results, their errors are around -1.8%, -2.4% respectively.

Performance characteristics a nonlinear diode and optimal analysis of refrigerator

This paper establishes a model of a nonlinear diode refrigerator consisting of two diodes switched in the opposite directions and located in two heat reservoirs with different temperatures. Based on the theory of thermal fluctuations, the expressions of the heat flux absorbed from the heat reservoirs are derived. After the heat leak between the two reservoirs is considered, the cooling rate and the coefficient of performance are obtained analytically. The influence of the heat leak and the temperature ratio on the performance characteristics of the refrigerator is analysed in detail.

Conceptual Design of 25-Barrel Pellet Injector with Cycle Refrigerator for HL-2A Tokamak

The preliminary design of a multi-barrels pellet injector with cycle refrigerator as an advanced plasma-fuelling tool for HL-2A tokamak has been proposed. The design aims at precise temperature control, easy operation with high reliability and high flexibility. GM-cycle refrigerator and pipe-gun structure have been employed to produce 25 pellets in 25 gun barrels simultaneously and the design aims. have been accomplished. Prime design principle, engineering parameters, structure and layout of the cryostat components as well as calculation of heat load for the cryostat are presented.

Performance Analysis of an Irreversible Refrigerator with Finite Thermal Capacity Reservoirs

To explore the influence of heat reservoirs of total thermal capacity at high and low temperature side heat exchanger of an irreversible refrigeration cycle on the coefficient of performance,the cycle model is established. By using the irreversible thermodynamics,much progress had been made in the studies of thermal resistance,heat leak and irreversible factors on the cycle of the coefficient of performance. The analytical formula of coefficient of performance and the distribution ratio of total thermal capacity are derived when the total thermal capacity at high and low temperature side heat exchanger is a constant. The influences of cycle parameters and different kinds of irreversible factors on the coefficient of performance and the optimal distribution ratio are analyzed by numerical computation. The results indicate that the coefficient of performance increases with the increase of the total heat capacity,and decreases with heat leak and internal irreversible factors. Furthermore,the optimal distribution ratio of total thermal capacity,when coefficient of performance reaches the maximum value,only has a connection with the internal dissipation.

On the Performance of a Solar Driven Absorption Refrigerator

An endoreversible model is used to simulate the dynamic behavior of a solar driven absorption refrigerator, the cycle under different operating and design conditions. A global time minimization procedure is performed to reach maximum performances. To evaluate the influence of the cold temperature on the system’s performances, results are carried out for three values of this temperature. They are presented in normalized charts for general applications. The minimum time set point temperature, entropy and maximum refrigeration load are sharp and therefore, are important to be considered for system design.

Contribution to the Modeling of a Solar Adsorption Refrigerator under the Climatic Conditions of Burkina Faso

This work concerns a dynamic modeling and a numerical simulation of the operation of an adsorption solar refrigeration system using the zeolite-water couple. For this, a mathematical model representing the evolution of heat and mass transfer at each component of the solar adsorption refrigerator has been developed. We have adopted the Dubinin-Astakhov model for the adsorption kinetics of the zeolite/water pair. This model allows to describe the phenomenon of adsorption and to calculate the rate of adsorbate (water) in the zeolite (adsorbent) as a function of the temperature and the pressure. The equations governing the operation of the solar adsorption refrigerator, deduced from the thermal and mass balances established at the collector adsorber, condenser and evaporator components, were solved by an implicit finite difference scheme and Gauss Seidel’s iterative method. We have validated the model established by applying it to the model of Allouhi et al. 2014. We analyzed the influence of the adsorbate/adsorbent couples, the solar flux, the ambient temperature on the adsorption and desorption process. The temperature profiles obtained representing the temperature evolution of the glass, the absorbent plate, the zeolite-water mixture, the condenser, the evaporator, as well as the pressure and the adsorbed mass allowed us to evaluate the performance of the solar adsorption refrigerator. SCOP is higher the higher the solar flux captured by the collector-adsorber.

Global Stability Characteristics of Irreversible Refrigerators

The dynamic stability analysis of an irreversible refrigerator working at the minimum power input P for given cooling load R was investigated.An irreversible refrigerator model was established based on coupled differential equations.The global asymptotic stability characteristics were proved by constructing Lyapunov function based on Lyapunov stability theory and analyzed by sketching global phase portraits.The influence of parameters such as initial and operating parameters were studied for different values.It was found that an equilibrium point of nonlinear system was the global stability point,and the temperature of the working fluids converged to the stability value as time t approximated to positive infinite.Besides,numerical integrations were carried out to corroborate the global asymptotic stability properties of the system.Finally,the dynamic stability and the thermodynamic properties of the system were analyzed.It was found that the energetic characteristics and the dynamic stability properties were deteriorated as the dimensionless cooling load R~* and the thermal conductance ratio b increased.

Thermal Analysis and Experimental Validation of Parabolic Trough Collector for Solar Adsorption Refrigerator

This work presents an algorithm able to simulate the heating of a solar collector throughout the day. The discussed collector is part of a solar adsorption refrigerator, and is used to regenerate the activated carbon contained inside a cylindrical recipient (absorber), which is located in the focal line of a parabolic trough concentrator. The developed algorithm takes into account all the transfer mechanisms when analyzing the heat transfers taking place between the collector’s components and the environment, as well as the transfer mechanisms towards the absorber’s interior. The temperature evolution for the collector’s elements is obtained, and the model is validated by comparing the experimentally measured surface temperature of the absorber with the one determined by the algorithm. The experimental data were gathered from similar collectors in two different scenarios: Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) and Buenos Aires (Argentina). The model is satisfactorily validated with experimental data.