The cost of coolers for cooling superconducting devices at temperatures at 4.2 K, 20 K, 40 K and 77 K

Abstract

This author and other authors have written papers concerning the cost of refrigeration as a function of the refrigeration delivered. These papers have included small coolers as well. The lowest temperature range from 3.8 K to 4.7 K (the liquid helium temperature range) is covered using coolers that have two stages. The use of magnets and power equipment that use MgB2 conductors and HTS conductors have spurred the development of coolers that work well temperature ranges from 15 K to 30 K (hydrogen temperature applications), HTS conductors like BSSCO and YBCO for the range from 35 to 50 K and HTS devices from 65 K to 80 K (applications in the liquid nitrogen temperature range). This paper will present some cost data for a number of commercial two-stage and single-stage coolers. This data will be fitted to allow one to estimate the cost of coolers as a function of refrigeration for temperatures of 4.2 K, 20 K, 40 K and 77 K. The efficiency of a large number of coolers over a range of temperatures is also discussed.