Patent ID: 9732907
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: F17C,F25B,F25D,H01F,Y02E

Claim:
1. Cooling apparatus comprising: a removable cryogenic refrigerator mounted within a sleeve, wherein a volume within the sleeve surrounding the refrigerator forms a closed recondensing chamber; and a thermal interface between the removable cryogenic refrigerator and a cryogen vessel to be cooled by the cryogenic refrigerator; wherein, the thermal interface is a non-contact thermal interface between a cooling stage of the refrigerator and a base of the closed recondensing chamber and includes: a gas held in thermal contact with the cooling stage of the refrigerator, the base of the closed recondensing chamber, and a pool of liquid in contact with the base but not the cooling stage; the cryogen vessel is cooled by thermal conduction through the base of the closed recondensing chamber; and the cooling stage does not make mechanical contact with the base of the closed recondensing chamber, wherein the base of the closed recondensing chamber is in direct thermal contact with a further recondensing chamber, arranged for the recondensation of a cryogen gas and sealed from the closed recondensing chamber of the thermal interface, wherein the base forms part of a wall of the cryogen vessel and forms part of a wall of the sleeve.