A detailed presentation of what somebody dealing with helium refrigeration should know. Persons who plan to design or operate middle or large size helium refrigeration and liquefaction plants. This educational session takes place within a four-day period (total time is around 28 hours).

• General reminders
  
• Theory of heat exchangers
  
• Basic thermodynamical cycles
  
• Liquid nitrogen pre-cooling
  
• Thermal shield cooling
  
• High power thermodynamical cycles
  
• Refrigeration cycles for temperatures lower than 4.5 K

• The oil lubricated screw compressor
  
• The final oil removal system
  
• The heat exchangers
  
• The bearings for cryogenic rotating machines
  
• The cryogenic expansion turbine
  
• The cryogenic centrifugal compressor

• Process control in helium refrigeration
  
• Transient situations

• Pollution of helium
  
• Purification by adsorption
  
• Purification by cryo-trapping
  
• Helium analysis

Visit of a helium liquefier or refrigerator.


A possible addition of high interest: simple thermodynamical calculations on helium.