Patent ID: 7347267

Claim:
An apparatus for cooling an instrument assembly including thermally and moisture sensitive instrumentation and used in a downhole assembly deployable downhole in a well, the apparatus comprising: a thermal flask at least partially forming a chamber containing the thermally and moisture sensitive instrumentation; at least one passage in the chamber in which a cooling fluid may flow near the instrumentation to cool the instrumentation, the at least one passage comprising an inlet and an outlet; at least one inlet coupling operatively and releasably connectable to the inlet of at least one passage to permit fluid to flow into the passage; at least one outlet coupling operatively releasably connectable to the outlet of at least one passage to permit fluid flowing in the passage to exit the thermal barrier; and the at least one inlet and outlet couplings being disconnectable from when the instrument assembly is deployed downhole and connectable when the instrument assembly is retrieved from downhole.