Recondensation performance of liquid helium cryostat for a 28 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source

Cryostat performance is essential for the stable operation of a superconducting magnet. A closed-cycle liquid helium cryostat was adopted for use for a superconducting electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source by recondensing liquid helium vapor. The goal was to maintain the liquid helium filled reservoir at a constant level without transferring any liquid helium during the normal operation of the ECR ion source. To accomplish this, Gifford-McMahon (GM) refrigerators, which have two cold heads, were installed on the top of the cryostat. The cooling power of the GM cryocooler is 1.5W at the second stage and 50 W at the first stage. Each stage was connected to the liquid helium reservoir, a radiation shield including high-T-c current lead, and related items. Before commissioning the ECR ion source, a preliminary evaluation of the recondensation performance was carried out with the magnet in partial operation. The design of the cryostat, its fabrication, and the experimental results are reported. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.