Cryogenic Plant

The department supplies very cold liquids (cryogenic) to all of the Technion campus, is the cryogenic plant at the Physics department.

Two materials are supplied by the facility:

We purchase helium gas from one of the two suppliers in the local market, and store it in tanks. The helium facility has 1500 c.m. in stock from which 2000 litres of liquid helium can be produced. The stock is kept in different states: part as compressed gas in gas storage tanks; part as liquid helium in a tank that is the collector of the helium liquefier, whose capacity is 1000 litres; part in smaller storage tanks (60 to 200 litre) which are kept in the facility or distributed in the laboratories of the customers; and part is in use in various experiments in the laboratories.

All the customers close to the helium facility (Physics, Solid State, and Microelectronics) have a pipeline for the helium gas that returns after use of a liquid that steams in the work process. The cost of helium gas needed to produce one liter of liquid helium is more than $10, and therefore we try to recycle the gas. The returned gas is compressed back into the gas storage tanks. The sophisticated helium liquefier works automatically and only the initial starting process needs human intervention. The liquefier produces about 15 liters an hour.

the customer is charged for the cost of the gas in addition to the cost of the liquefaction – price is caluleted as"cost plus" method, and is credited with the cost value for returned gas. The bills are sent out once a month.

Nitrogen is purchased in liquid state and is stored in 6,000 liter tank. The facility deals with supplying only liquid nitrogen. The tanks with which the customers come to take the nitrogen differ widely in size and initial temperature. Therefore there is also a big difference in the reduction in the amount due to the evaporation that occurs during the filling process.

Payment: The solution to the big difference in the reduction is different prices for tanks of different sizes. The price for a Faculty researcher is subsidized.

The customer should give advance notice – at least two days – of his intent to take delivery of cold liquids. Telephone 04-289-3998. On the day on which it is agreed that he will receive the material, the customer should send a representative with a cooling tank of suitable size and quality to collect the liquid. He should not enter the facility but wait to receive the material outside or in the office. The cryogenic facility will check the tank before filling it. A rejected tank will be returned to the customer and it will not be filled until a permit is received. Transportation of the tank to the cryogenic facility is the customer's responsibility alone! Note. Make sure that the person transporting the tank is trained and knows the dangers and how to take care of tanks of very cold temperature liquids.