Kyushu University
Low Temperature Center

Kyushu University
Low Temperature Center

ItoBranch

HospitalBranchHelium Liquefier System
In 1908, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes from Leiden University succeededin the liquefaction of helium for the first time. He was later awarded theNobel prize in 1913. His discovery on liquid helium has led to various
applications such as superconductors.
The latest high performance helium liquefier system wasinstalled and launched in the Low Temperature Center. Thissystem provides a strong support for educational andresearch activities requiring cryogens.

Specifications＜Liquefaction & Refrigeration＞＜Storage＞

・Helium liquefier/refrigerator
LindeKryotechnik AG LR280
Liquefier capacity 235 L/hRefrigerator capacity：1440 W ＠20 K 1550 W ＠50 K・Compressor for helium liquefier
Kaeser Kompressoren ESD441 1503 Nm3/h・Liquid helium storage
Jecc Torisha Co., Ltd CH-2000
Capacity: 2000L×2
・Clustered cylinders for pure gas
Koike Sanso Kogyo Co., Ltd Maximum capacity：2,255 m3
・Clustered cylinders for impurities gas
Koike Sanso Kogyo Co., Ltd Maximum capacity：4,511 m3＜Recovery & Purification＞

・Compressor for recovery and purification
GreenField Engineering Co. C5U217GPEXBouer Co.IK25.0-NI
Recovery capacity：100Nm3/h×2・High pressure external purifier
Koike Sanso Kogyo Co., Ltd
Purify capacity：100 Nm3/h×5 h×2・Gasbag
Koike Sanso Kogyo Co., Ltd
Volume：50 m3×1, 60 m3×1

Outdoor clustered cylinders
for pure and impurity gases＜Analysis & Hydrogen remove system＞

・Gas analysis system LindeKryotechnik・Hydrogen remove system Peak Laboratories Co., Ltd.

Helium liquefier/refrigerator

Compressor forhelium liquefier/refrigerator

External purifier

Liquid N2 Cold Evaporator
Compressor for recovery and purification

Helium gas analysissystemHydrogen removesystem

CE10000-M
Japan Chemical Engineering &Machinery Co., Ltd.

If a gas is expanded freely into an open space through avalve or a throttling device, the temperature of the gas canbe slightly decreased. This phenomenon is known as theJoule-Thomson (JT) effect, which is used in the final stageof the helium liquefier. Due to the weak intermolecularinteraction of helium gas, this effect can be exploited attemperatures below 40 K. Therefore, helium gas is firstcooled down to 20 K or less by another method (expansionengine) before applying the JT effect.
The operation process of helium liquefier is as the following.
First, a high pressure (HP) gas is prepared by thecompressor. Then, the HP gas is cooled down through theheat exchanger, and some of the gas flows through theexpansion engine, in which an efficient turbine-type engine isrecently employed. When the gas rotates the turbine in theexpansion engine, work is done. As a result, the temperatureand pressure of the gas decrease. This process is known as
the adiabatic expansion in the Carnot’s cycle for an ideal gassystem (equi-entrophy process), which is different from a JT
expansion for a real gas system (equi-enthalphy process).
Since the turbine should rotate smoothly even at lowtemperatures, an advanced technique is required. The
resultant cold gas with a temperature of about 10 K is used torefrigerate the main HP gas at below 40 K. Finally, the cold
HP gas is expanded to atmospheric pressure through the JT
valve and is liquefied.

Storage capacity: 10000 L＜Liquid nitrogen＞

The boiling point of liquid nitrogen(LN2) is about 77 K. LN2 hasvarious uses because of its lowcost. LN2 is relatively safe andis easy to handle, however, aconstant supply of oxygen isessential during use.
＜Support＞

LN2 is supplied by the LowTemperature Center.
Users should attend the seminaron safe handling techniques ofcryogens prior to using LN2.

Utilization of liquid helium in Ito campus
Liquid helium is used in various fields such as the development andcharacterization of new functional materials or superconductors forapplications and fundamental research in condensed matter physics.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrometers; JNM-ECX500(Leftpanel) and JNM-ECZ400(Right panel)
The Center of Advanced Instrumental Analysis was established in 1982 to facilitate advanced
instrumental analyses and high grade specimen preparation for research and education. At present,
the center manages 18 and 30 instruments, respectively, at the Chikushi and Ito campuses. Use ofthe instruments is available to all members of Kyushu University.
The center located in Ito Campus manages two NMR spectrometers. One is the JNM-ECX500 andanother is the JNM-ECZ400. Both of them have been renewed recently. These instruments areuseful for structure analysis, sample identification and so on. These instruments need liquid helium
to cool the superconducting magnet coil. Therefore, we have been using the helium recovery
system since 2010.

Center of Advanced Instrumental Analysis

Magnetic Property Measurement (System Quantum Design, Inc. mpms-5S
and mpms-XL)
It's possible to measure the magnetic properties with several mg of samples by easy operation.
Magnetic properties can be measured with 0–5 kOe of external magnetic field. These machines
equip two temperature control modes of step-by-step mode and sweep mode with temperature rangeof 1.9-400 K. A photo-magnetic properties using various wave length of light can be measured byintroducing an optic fiber into a sample room of equipment. Recently, We have found and reported
some interesting molecular magnetic materials such as photo-responsive nano magnets[1] andmolecular nanocages with giant spin[2] etc. Furthermore, these equipment can be used as
temperature control unit easy to handle. We are studying about the multi-electronic properties, forexample, electronic conductivities, photo-responsive conductivities and dielectric properties bycoupling appropriate equipment with mpms.
[1] T. Liu, O. Sato et al., Nat Commun 2013, 4, 2826. [2] S. Kang, O. Sato et al., Nat Commun 2015, 6, 5955.

Institute for materials chemistry and engineering

Continuous Flow Helium Cryostat
The system continuously provides a wide temperature range from 3 K to 300 K with a high stability. The
cryostat is set in the electromagnet, which generate a strong magnetic field around 1.2 Tesla. Since thiscryostat is very flexible, one can measure any physical properties, such as electrical and magnetic properties.
At the moment, we have the sample holders for static and dynamical transport measurements.

Faculty of Science

Compact-type variable and modulate
temperature apparatus
This apparatus provides a stable test field containing
helium gas, which is hold at a fixed temperature ranging
from 20 K to 70 K.
Various performance tests of superconducting wire andcoil are done in such environment.

Research Institute of Superconductor Science and Systems.

Dilution refrigerator equipped with a superconducting magnet
The refrigerator can go down to a temperature of 50 mK
and go up to a magnetic field of 8 T.
The rear black panel is a 3He-4He gas handling system.

Faculty of Engineering.

Measurement system for normal propagation phenomena in a high Tc
superconducting wire
Liquid helium can be transferred easily from a250-L vessel to the system using a transfer tube.
The relation between normal propagation and cooling
effect is investigated in this system.

Research Institute of Super-conductor Science and Systems.

Millimeter Wave Spectrometer with Multi-reflection Optical Path
In millimeter wave region, a sensitive detection technique of the absorption spectrum with multireflection optical path is not easily applicable because of big diameter of the millimeter wave beam.
We have developed confocal multi-reflection optical path for the millimeter wave experiment. Usingten round trip optical path, transient molecules and molecular complexes have been detected
sensitively. The extremely fast ortho-para conversion of the vinyl radical has been detected with thisapparatus [1]. The van der Waals band of the He-HCN complex, which is quite weakly bound with abinding energy of 9 cm-1, has been also detected almost near to the dissociation limit [2].
[1] Mol. Phys. 108, 2289 (2010) Invited Article.

[2] J. Chem. Phys., 117, 7041-7050 (2002).

Faculty of Science

Physical property measurement apparatus under multiple extreme conditions.
We can measure such physical properties as electrical resistivity,

thermal expansion,

magnetoresistance, hall resistivity and magnetization under multiple extreme conditions (highpressure up to ~2.5GPa,high magnetic field up to 14T and low temperature down to 1.5K).The
sample, which is put into a pressure cell, are inserted into a superconducting magnet.

Mainly, weinvestigate itinerant magnetic materials and rare-earth-based valence fluctuating compounds.

Faculty of ScienceIto Branch

Low Temperature Center, Ito Branch
Kyushu University
744 Motooka, Nishi-ku,Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Tel &Fax: 092-802-3940
URL: https://www.ltc.kyushu-u.ac.jp

Hospital Branch

Station for Collaborative Research 2
Manegement room
Kyushu University
3-1-1 Maedashi, Higashi-ku,
Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
Tel &Fax: 092-642-6883
URL: https://www.ltc.kyushu-u.ac.jp