This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
This project will revitalize and enhance the capability of the University of Florida Helium Liquifaction facility. The installation of new compressors and storage capacity will upgrade the current facility to the next generation infra-structure to support research of both large scale users and the widely distributed small scale users across campus for the next 15 to 20 years, expanding the total volume of liquid delivered and recovered annually from 89,000 liters to 135,000 liters.
The project will enhance infrastructure for research by providing low cost helium supply. The University of Florida supports curricula in cryogenics and trains more than 60 undergraduate and graduate students and post doctoral associates each year in classes and research laboratories in this area. The training is integrated with research activities throughout the laboratories including safety instruction on handling low temperature liquids, and is unique in training students in low and ultra-low temperature techniques. In addition, the University provides technical consults to many other universities and laboratories both national and international. The investigators who use the liquid helium will be mentoring many undergraduate students in summer programs (undergraduate research programs in physics, chemistry and materials research) and give lectures at elementary and middle schools throughout north-central Florida, and at the NHMFL Summer School. Research and educational activities supported by liquid helium research are expected to increase training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in this field and increase retention rates. In addition, a webpage will be set up for outreach activities and this site will provide information about the facility including a photo tour of the facility and the complete list of research, educational projects and community activities that could benefit from the facility.
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE He Revitalization of the University of Florida Helium Liquefaction and Recovery Facility Project ID: NSF 0962743 Outcomes Report for the General Public: Helium is a valuable non-renewable resource that is vital for many everyday uses in industry and science such as in heliarc welding and semiconductor production in gas form as well as in operation of MRI machines and diverse scientific research as a cryogenic liquid. However, helium is a rare element with a very limited supply, and its price has increased drastically since the phasing out of the strategic Federal Reserve in 1996. The supply of gas has been restricted and deliveries from commercial suppliers to universities and national laboratories have become unreliable, imperiling large superconducting magnets that must be kept cold for long periods of time. This situation is expected to get worse since the Bureau of Land Management is set to shut down operations as the agency responsible for the management of gas extraction from the Federal Helium Reserve –a vast underground lake of gas that stretches from Texas to Kansas. This action will severely limit the availability of helium in particular for institutions that rely on liquid helium for the operation of superconducting magnets and low temperature research facilities. The efficient recovery and judicious use of helium gas has become a national imperative. Revitalization of helium liquefaction and recovery facility at the University of Florida through this grant could not have been more timely considering the current development. Florida’s unique installation with a network of gas recovery lines totaling more than 1.5 miles in length with remote computer controlled monitoring and recovery compressors feeding a centralized purifier and liquefier can meet the needs of users requiring annual consumptions of up to 150,000 liter of liquid with a superb recovery rate of 93%. The high efficiency of the facility provides a buffer to the market fluctuations and, therefore, is essential to a stable supply to researchers and facilities. The University of Florida cryogenic facility has been a model to many others in its efficient operation. The implementation and efficient management of the recovery and liquefaction facility at the University of Florida provides a template for future users. Several institutions have consulted with our engineers to develop similar systems for their needs.
