Very Low Temperatures [ Return towards Centers of research & Laboratories ]
Very low temperatures were once reserved to a limited number of applications such as superconductors, NMR, medical scanners and infrared detection. But now there is much more interest from larger industrial markets. From 12 kW at 4 Kelvin to a few mW at 0.1 Kelvin, we offer constant low-temperature storage, distribution and production of low temperatures. At the DTA (Advanced Technologies Division), we are tirelessly growing our know-how and can offer expertise and products that provide effective solutions for a wide range of applications.
• Helium - Hydrogen
We were chosen by CERN in Geneva to supply two large size refrigerators for the future LHC particle accelerator. They will generate an isothermal power of 18 kW at 4.5 K (-268.5°C), making them the most powerful helium coolers in service in the world. They will join the two helium refrigerators set up in 1990 which already supply 12 kW at 4 K each, along with hundreds of meters of cryogenic lines cooling the set of magnets. From the special high-technology version found in the installations at CERN or Kourou to the standardized version for gas manufacturers, we are the prime partner for the supply of helium or hydrogen production, storage and distribution installations.
• Cryostats
The cryostats on offer from DTA are used to maintain cryogenic fluids at the required temperature during the period of use. They are especially used for research purposes in the medical field and the space industry. At the DTA, we manufacture a cryostat with exceptional specifications to meet the needs of solid-state physics researchers. This cryostat can be used to cool a sample to a temperature of -273.05°C in a vacuum 10 times higher than that in space and under a magnetic field 140,000 times stronger than that on Earth.
• Cold Production Machines
In spite of their rotational speed of more than 100,000 rpm, our turbines with gas bearings reach temperatures of just a few degrees above absolute zero by expanding a gas such as helium or hydrogen without causing any pollution or wear. Thanks to these capabilities, along with an MTBF of more than 37,500 hours, they are used all over the world.
Equipped with a completely static cold section, the "pulsed gas tube" is a cryogenerator capable of producing temperatures as low as -269°C for a practically unlimited period. We are one of the few companies to manufacture them for industrial applications.
Because they generate cold independently, our Joule Thomson expansion type coolers or Stirling cycle machines are indispensable for "infrared and superconducting detection" applications. They are capable of generating a cold point of between 50 and 100 K for a power of between 0.1 mW and 5 W.
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