Technologies of 1.8 K / 2.4 kW Helium Refrigerators and Cold Compressors for LHC

Abstract

For the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) project of the CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire), the Swiss-Japanese consortium IHI/Linde Kryotechnik AG delivered a 1.8 K helium refrigeration system. Linde has produced many helium refrigeration systems and IHI has designed and manufactured cold compressors that utilize many advanced technologies and innovative ideas for turbo machinery. The compressor has the characteristics of the highest efficiency in the world. This paper describes the 1.8 K helium refrigeration system and performance test results at CERN.