Cryogenics

The Cryogenics Department at Jefferson Lab maintains multiple operating cryogenic plants in four locations. Three are inside the accelerator site and the fourth is outside the fence. The primary facility is located inside the accelerator site at the Central Helium Liquefier building (CHL).  The CHL building houses two separate large cryogenic plants CHL1 and CHL2. These two plants are responsible for cooling the superconducting radio frequency cryomodules in the tunnel that accelerate the electron beam. Also inside the accelerator site is the End Station Refrigerator (ESR) which supports cryogenic needs in all three experimental halls A, B and C. The third facility inside the accelerator site is the Hall D Refrigerator (HDR) which supports the cryogenic needs in experimental hall D. The Cryogenic Test Facility (CTF) refrigerator supports the cryogenic needs at the Test Lab to support the Vertical Test Area (VTA), the CryoModule Test Facility (CMTF), and the Upgrade Injector Test Facility (UITF). The cryogenic plants are designed to run 24/7 all year long with minimal maintenance intervals. Our facilities are unmanned and use a computer based control system for operation.

In addition, the Cryogenics Department utilizes its specialized technical expertise to design, fabricate, and commission large cryogenic equipment at other facilities around the country including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Michigan State University, Johnson Space Center, and Stanford University.