Hot Disk Closed-cycled Cryostat

Products / TCUs

Temperature Control Units (TCUs)

Closed-Cycle Cryostat

-268°C (5 K) to Room Temperature

  • New

This cryostat, developed by Hot Disk AB, is specifically made for measurements at extremely low temperatures down to 10 K, primarily for space-related applications. It uses compressed helium gas for cooling and a resistive wire element for heating.

The system consists of four separate parts:

  1. A cylindrical vacuum chamber with an integrated sample stage for thermal conductivity measurements, mounted on a floor-stand.
  2. A helium gas compressor requiring water cooling with a capacity >6.5 kW.
  3. A temperature control unit.
  4. A turbomolecular pump.

The exterior of the vacuum chamber is made of stainless steel, while the interior – mainly the sample holder used for thermal conductivity measurement – is made of copper, with heat conduction established via copper belts. Sample mounting is made easily accessible by loosening the bolt connections on the chamber lid and lifting the cylindrical lid upward. The feedthroughs for both TPS and temperature-measurement cables are located on the top of the chamber, terminating in a hermetic connector. The chamber can reach temperatures as low as 5 K (-268°C), with a temperature stability of ±0.1 K (±0.1°C).

The cryostat is designed to be used with our Kapton- or Teflon-insulated Hot Disk® or Hot Strip® sensors equipped with thin-diameter silicone-clad cables, minimizing heat leakage into the vacuum chamber through the sensor leads.

Initial evacuation of the chamber, followed by activation of the helium compressor for gas circulation, is performed manually. Subsequent chamber temperature control is handled by the resistive heating element and fully automated via the Hot Disk Desktop App over USB communication. The software can be programmed to execute a series of measurements with the Hot Disk instrument at multiple chamber temperatures.

Vacuum Chamber
Size
Volume 4.5 liters
Height 210 mm
Diameter 230 mm
Maximum sample size
Thickness 45 mm (one of two identical pieces)
Width 100 mm
Length 100 mm
Vacuum level 0.03 mbar
Cooling system Helium gas, closed cycle
Heating system Wire heating element
Temperature
Minimum 5 K (-268°C)
Maximum Room temperature
Stability ±0.1 K (±0.1°C)
General
Compressor
Helium 2.5 ounce
Helium flow ~50 litres/min at ~1.7 MPa
Water cooling >6.5 kW
Supply voltage
Temperature control unit 230 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 1 Phase
Turbomolecular pump 100-230 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 1 Phase
Compressor 360-480 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 3 Phase
Power rating
Temperature control unit
Turbomolecular pump 1.7/0.85 A
Compressor Min. circuit ampacity 17 A
Input/output
Temperature control unit USB type B connector (female)
Dimensions (height x width x depth)
Vacuum chamber (with floor-stand) 1470 mm x 600 mm x 600 mm
Temperature control unit 100 mm x 220 mm x 380 mm
Turbomolecular pump 320 mm x 400 mm x 350 mm
Compressor 591 mm x 450 mm x 485 mm
Weight
Temperature chamber (with floor-stand) 76 kg
Temperature control unit 3 kg
Turbomolecular pump 17 kg
Compressor 120 kg
CE marking In progress
Hot Disk Closed-cycled Cryostat

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