Helium liquefiers - HELIAL range [ Return towards Cryogenics for scientific research ]

Automatic helium liquefiers for liquefaction centres, universities and research institutes

The HELIAL helium liquefiers range can provide liquid helium at 4.5 K at flow rates varying from 15 to 330 l/hr.. A turnkey helium liquefaction system is offered from gaseous helium recovery to its storage in liquid form. All operation are controlled automatically: compressor management, system cooling, nominal operating conditions and liquefier shutdown.

(© Air Liquide) HELIAL EVOLUTION is designed for use in liquefaction centres where it fits into the process between recovering the helium and storing it in liquid form, after which the liquefied gas can be dispensed in order to provide cold power to various applications: superconductivity, nanotechnology, biology, quantum physics, space etc.

Air Liquide offers its customers a turnkey liquefaction system, HELIAL EVOLUTION and all its related components. All HELIAL EVOLUTION liquefiers are fitted with turbines, the core of the liquefaction process, developed by AIR LIQUIDE. These turbines operate under static gas bearing technology, which means they can reach rotation speeds of up to 300,000 revs per minute, with an MTBF of 150,000 hours.

Range

	HELIAL SL	HELIAL ML	HELIAL LL
Compressors	45 to 55 kW	75 to 132 kW	160 to 250 kW
Flow without nitrogen Flow with nitrogen	15 to 25 L/hr 30 to 50 L/hr	35 to 70 L/hr 75 to 150 L/hr	110 to 145 L/hr 215 to 330 L/hr
Maximum efficiency	1 kW/(L/hr)	0.9 kW/(L/hr)	0.8 kW/(L/hr)

Key benefits

Easy-to-use: user-friendly interface with touch control screen, automatic operation run by a control system, remote access by modem/internet
Reduced maintenance: self-diagnosis providing early warning of breakdowns
Low operating costs: lower consumption of utilities (compressed air, nitrogen, water, electricity, compact system that can easily be built into existing infrastructures

Key technical characteristics

Air or water cooling of compressor
Integrated oil removal and cycle pressure management functions
Touch screen controls
Automatic management of compressor, system refrigeration, nominal liquefier operation and shutdown thereof
Nitrogen pre-cooling included
Electrical cabinet integrated on the cold box frame