The Safety System of the Herschel Cryostat

Abstract

The cryostat for the ‘Herschel Space Observatory’ for the European Space Agency (ESA) science program, planned for a launch with Ariane 5 in 2007, is designed for 6 days ground hold time and 3.5 years lifetime in orbit. The system comprises two tanks containing about 346 kg of liquid and superfluid Helium, with two cryogenic cold safety valves and burst disks, surrounded by three vapor cooled shields and a vacuum vessel. The safety system is two faults tolerant with three independent paths for pressure relief. The analyses of failure modes and resulting mass flows and the safety elements of the cryogenic system will be discussed.