Helium Liquefier Cooling Work Done 31-March-2022 ---------------------------------------------------- Original Rev. 31-Mar-2022 Current Rev. 32-Mar-2022 Summary: this note describes work done on the water cooling system for the Purifier on 31-Mar-2022. - Connect the Purifier Pressure Gauges and record the static pressures while the flow of water through the Purifier is blocked then allow the cooling water to flow and record the pressures again. - Replace the quick disconnects in B111 that connect the Pufifier's cooling loop to the building's Process Water system. Record all pressures again. - Replace the Filter in the Purifier's cooling loop and record all of the pressures again. Details: -------- Cooling Water Pressures in PSI Gauge -------------------------------------------------------- Main Compressor Purifier --------------------------------- ------------------- Supply Pump Outlet Return Supply Return Pump Compressor Compressor Purifier Purifier Inlet Inlet Outlet Inlet Outlet ------ ----------- ---------- -------- -------- Connect the Purifier Pressure Gauges: 10:45 Turn Off the Purifier - it was in Mode 81 - Standby Connect the new Purifier Cooling Water Pressure Gauges. 10:55 Gauges are now connected. Water valves are back open but I have the Purifier water flow blocked by unplugging the return quick disconnect at the front of the Purifier. Record the pressures - Static Purifier Pressures. 94 > 108 92 98 89 10:56 Plug back in the Purifier's quick disconnect return line, i.e. enable cooling water to flow through the Purifier. Turn back On the Purifier. Record pressures. 94 > 108 92 93 90 11:10 Just check the pressures again. Purifier is in Mode 81. 94 > 108 92 93 90 Remove the B111 Quick Disconnects from the Purifier's Connection to the Building's Process Water System: 12:20 Record pressures and then turn Off the Purifier. It had been in mode 81 - Standby 94 > 108 92 93 90 12:35 B111 quick disconnects have been removed. Turn the Purifier back On and record the pressures. Note the drop in Supply pressure to the Purifier. 94 > 108 91 91 90 Replace the Filter Element in the Purifier's cooling water circuit. This is the first time that this filter element has been replaced since the Purifier was moved from the Air Chiller cooling water to the building's Process water in about the early summer of 2021: 12:50 Record pressures and then turn Off the Purifier. It had been in mode 81 - Standby 94 > 108 91 92 90 13:00 The Filter element has been replaced. Turn the Purifier back On and record the pressures. Note better Supply pressure. The Purifier is in mode 81. Its cold temps are 160 deg k and 96 deg k. 94 > 108 91 96 90 As the afternoon goes on just check in on the system a couple more times to look for leaks and record the state of things: 13:25 Just check on things. Purifier is in mode 81 - its cold temps are 160 k and 87 k 94 > 108 92 96 91 15:30 Just check on things. Purifier is in mode 81 - its cold temps are 154 k and 79 k 94 > 108 92 98 92 16:40 Just check on things. Purifier is in mode 81 - its cold temps are 153 k and 78 k 95 > 108 93 98 92 17:30 Just check on things. Purifier is in mode 81 - its cold temps are 153 k and 78 k 94 > 108 93 98 93 Final Notes: - By turning Off the Purifier I mean that I pushed its front panel mechanical Off push button. I specifically did not turn Off its main power breaker. Pushing just its Off button leaves all of its controller circuits running and I think / hope lets it start back up more quickly than it would from an actual power cut off. After finishing the above work, when I pushed its front panel mechanical On push button, it came up in Mode 81 - "Standby". The Purifier's operating mode is indicated in a line along the bottom edge of its LCD touch screen. To get the Purifier back into actual operation I had to press the "ON" icon at the righthand side of the LCD touch screen. Once I pressed the touch screen's ON icon the Purifier moved quickly through an intermediate mode and came to mode 31 - "Transition to Steady State Purification". It stayed in mode 31 for a few hours before moving to mode 41 - "Steady State Purification". While in mode 31 the manual says that the Purifier is purging and doing sensor startup. While it sat in Standby mode 81 for almost 24 hours its cold temperatures were 153 k and 78 k. Once it actually started purifying gas in mode 41 its cold temperatures were 122 k and 76 k. These may not be typical cold temperatures because at this point in time the side of the vacuum jacket in the Purifier felt colder than it should so there may have been a significant heat leak through the vacuum jacket. - Pieces of the hose and the old filter element that have had Process Water flow for about the past 10 months are available for inspection. We must be worried about sludge build up in the heat exchangers inside the Purifier and Main Compressor. - The old quick disconnects and "flow regulator" from the B111 Process Water connections to the Purifier cooling loop are available for inspection. I found the instructions for the old now removed flow regulators and put them on the web.