Design verification and acceptance tests of the ASST-A helium refrigeration system.

摘要

Three similar helium refrigerator systems have been installed at the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory (SSCL) N15 site; the ASST-A system, which will be used for the accelerator system's full cell string test; the N15-B system, which will be used for string testing in the tunnel; and a third plant, dedicated to magnet testing at the Magnet Testing Laboratory. The ASST-A and N15-B systems will ultimately be a part of the collider's N15 sector station equipment. Each of these three systems has many subsystems, but the design basis for the main refrigerator is the same. Each system has a guaranteed capacity of 2000 W of refrigeration and 20 g/s liquefaction at 4.5K. The testing and design verification of the ASST-A refrigeration system consisted of parametric tests on the compressors and the total system. A summary of the initial performance test data is given in this paper. The tests were conducted for two cases: in the first, all four compressors were operating; in the second, only one compressor in each stage was operating. In each case, tests were conducted in three modes of operation described later on. The process design basis supplied by the manufacturers and used in the design of the main components -- the compressor, and expanders and heat exchangers for the coldbox -- were used to reduce the actual test data using process simulation methodology. In addition, the test results and the process design submitted by the manufacturer were analyzed using exergy analysis. This paper presents both the process and the exergy analyses of the manufacturer's design and the actual test data for Case 1. The process analyses are presented in the form of T-S diagrams. The results of the exergy analyses comparing the exergy losses of each component and the total system for the manufacturer's design and the test data are presented in the tables.