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arXiv · 2511.09689

An ASME-Compliant Helium-4 Evaporation Refrigerator for the SpinQuest Experiment

Jordan D. Roberts·Vibodha Bandara·Kenichi Nakano·Dustin Keller
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Abstract

This paper presents the design, safety basis, and commissioning results of a 1 K liquid helium-4 (4He) evaporation refrigerator developed for the Fermilab SpinQuest Experiment (E1039). The system represents the first high power helium evaporation refrigerator operated in a fixed target scattering experiment at Fermilab and was engineered to comply with the Fermilab ES\&H Manual (FESHM) requirements governing pressure vessels, piping, cryogenic systems, and vacuum vessels. The design is mapped to ASME B31.3 (Process Piping) and the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) for pressure boundary integrity and overpressure protection, with documented compliance to FESHM Chapters 5031 (Pressure Vessels), 5031.1 (Piping Systems), and 5033 (Vacuum Vessels). This work documents the methodology used to reach compliance and approval for the 4He evaporation refrigerator at Fermilab which the field lacks. Design considerations specific to the high radiation target-cave environment including remotely located instrumentation approximately 20 m from the cryostat are summarized, together with the relief-system sizing methodology used to accommodate transient heat loads from dynamic nuclear polarization microwaves and the high-intensity proton beam. Commissioning data from July 2024 confirms that the system satisfies all thermal performance and safety objectives.

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Jordan D. Roberts, Vibodha Bandara, Kenichi Nakano, Dustin Keller. 2025-11-12. An ASME-Compliant Helium-4 Evaporation Refrigerator for the SpinQuest Experiment. https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.09689

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