MMR Technologies, Inc.

WHAT ARE THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE NITROGEN

GAS USED IN JOULE THOMSON REFRIGERATORS?

Joule Thomson refrigerators operate using high pressure gas to cool a sample stage with high
temperature precision and very low noise. The most commonly used gas is nitrogen gas.
Nitrogen gas can give a cooling capacity of 250 mWatts at 85K.
In order to ensure maximum performance of the Joule Thomson refrigerator, with minimum
operational problems, the type of nitrogen gas used is very important.
The nitrogen gas should be “Pre-purified Grade” purity and should be delivered in a tank at
an initial pressure of at least 2640 psi. This gas can be obtained from local sources. It cannot
be supplied by MMR Technologies. Shipment of high pressure gas cylinders is so highly
regulated that shipment by air is not possible and shipment over long distances by truck is not
economically viable.
The user should order a supply of this gas well in advance of receiving delivery of the
cryogenic cooling system.

NITROGEN GAS SPECIFICATIONS

Gas Data
Formula: N2
Molecular Weight: 28.01
Specific Volume: 3.80 ft.3/lb. (0.861 m3/kg)
CAS Registry No.: 7727-37-9

Cylinder Specifications
Nitrogen gas can come in a variety of sizes and pressures. Table 1 gives some specifications
for some of the more commonly used cylinders. This is by all means not a comprehensive list.

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TABLE 1: NITROGEN GAS CYLINDER SPECIFICATIONS

CYLINDER PRESSURE AT 70F

VALVE OUTLET
SIZE (21.1 C)

1A CGA Number 580 2,490 psi (17, 180 kPa)

1L CGA Number 580 2,640 psi (18, 216 kPa)
1H CGA Number 680 3,500 psi (24, 130 kPa)
1U CGA Number 677 6, 000 psi (41, 370 kPa)
2, 3, & 4 CGA Number 580 2,000 psi (13, 800 kPa)

NOTE
Joule Thomson refrigerators require a minimum tank pressure of 1800 psi to operate. It is
recommended that the minimum delivered tank pressure is 2640 psi.

NOTE
When the nitrogen tank being used for the Joule Thomson refrigerators gets below 1800 psi
the tank can still be used for other applications, including acting as a back fill source of
nitrogen for the vacuum chambers or for other laboratory experiments where lower pressure
nitrogen is required.

Shipping Data
D.O.T. Proper Shipping Name: Nitrogen, Compressed
Hazard Class: 2.2 (Nonflammable Gas)
I.D. No.: UN 1066
E.R.G. Page: 12
Label(s): Nonflammable Gas

Summary of Nitrogen Gas Specifications

MMR Technologies, Inc. recommends that the nitrogen gas used with the Joule-Thomson
refrigerators meets the following criteria:
„ Pre-purified Grade
„ 99.998% minimum purity
„ 1800 psi supplied pressure from the tank
„ Tank pressure recommended to be at least 2640 psi
„ The nitrogen gas must go through a filter/dryer apparatus prior to going into the
Joule Thomson refrigerator (There are three available kits from MMR Technolo-

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gies. For further information, please refer to the Technical Support Bulletin on
the Importance of Using Filter/Dryers with your Joule Thomson Refrigerators.)
There are several basic tanks that meet this qualifications. Consider the following three tables,
where different tank pressures of 99.998% pure nitrogen gas are described with respect to
their contents:

TABLE 2: NITROGEN, PRE-PURIFIED, 99.998%

CONTENTS
CYLINDER
SIZE 3 3
FT. M LBS KG

1L 300 8.49 21.71 9.86

1A 255 7.22 18.48 8.38
2 81 2.29 5.87 2.66
3 32 0.91 2.32 1.05
4 11 0.31 0.15 0.07

TABLE 3: NITROGEN, 3500 PSI, 99.998% MIN.

CONTENTS
CYLINDER
SIZE 3 3
FT. M LBS KG

1H 341 9.66 24.71 11.21

TABLE 4: NITROGEN, 6000 PSI, 99.998% MIN.

CONTENTS
CYLINDER
SIZE 3 3
FT. M LBS KG

1U 485 14.30 36.59 16.60

Several types of cylinders have been described in this technical support bulletin. In order to
determine the best type of cylinder for your applications and requirements, some further
information on these basic cylinder types can be seen in Table 5 on page 4.

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TABLE 5: DIMENSION, WEIGHT AND CAPACITY INFORMATION ON COMMON

CYLINDERS

NOMINAL
DIMENSIONS WATER INTERNAL
TARE WEIGHT
(DIAMETER X CAPACITY VOLUME
CYLINDER
LENGTH)
SIZE
CU.
INCHES CM LBS KG LBS KG LITERS
FT.

1A 9 x 51 23 x 130 122 55 96 43.5 43.8 1.55

1L 10 x 55 24 x 140 138 63 108 49.0 49.0 1.73
1H 9 x 51 23 x 130 188 85 96 43.5 43.8 1.55
1U 10 x 51 25 x 120 312 141 93 42.2 42.4 1.50
2 9 x 26 22 x 65 64 29 36.8 16.7 16.7 0.59

MMR TECHNOLOGIES CRYOCOOLER OPERATING TIME AS A FUNCTION

OF STORAGE TANK SIZE AND PRESSURE

Another important consideration when deciding which nitrogen gas tank to use with your
cooling system is the length of time the experiments are expected to take, and how long the
tank of nitrogen gas will last. There are several variables that are important in this:
„ Tank Size
„ Tank Pressure
„ The usage rate of the refrigerator
While the first two variables are intuitive, the usage rate of the refrigerator can vary from
system to system, and from experiment to experiment, depending on the types of samples
being cooled, the experimental conditions, the cooling requirements on the system, and the
vacuum pressure within the chamber housing the Joule Thomson refrigerator. There are also
slight variations from refrigerator to refrigerator. With that in mind, Table 6 will suggest some
typical usage times that can be expected.

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TABLE 6: OPERATING TIME FOR A TANK OF NITROGEN GAS AS A FUNCTION OF THE

SIZE AND PRESSURE OF THE SUPPLY TANK

EQUIVALENT
STP VOLUME OF STP VOLUME OPERATING
TANK NITROGEN IN THE AVAILABLE FOR USAGE RATE OF TIME AS A
ID TANK AT REFRIGERATOR REFRIGERATOR FUNCTION OF
DELIVERY USE TANK
PRESSURE

1L 211.0 cu. ft. 98.5 cu. ft. 2 cu. ft. / hr. 49 hours
3 cu. ft. / hr. 33 hours
4 cu. ft. / hr. 25 hours
5 cu. ft. / hr. 20 hours
1A 189.0cu ft. 72.5 cu. ft. 2 cu. ft. / hr. 36 hours
3 cu. ft. / hr. 24 hours
4 cu. ft. / hr. 18 hours
5 cu. ft. / hr. 15 hours
1H 189.0 cu. ft. 178.5 cu. ft. 2 cu. ft. / hr. 89 hours
3 cu. ft. / hr. 60 hours
4 cu. ft. / hr. 45 hours
5 cu. ft. / hr. 36 hours
1U 183.0 cu. ft. 426.8 cu. ft. 2 cu. ft. / hr. 213 hours
3 cu. ft. / hr. 142 hours
4 cu. ft. / hr. 107 hours
5 cu. ft. / hr. 85 hours
2 72.0 cu. ft. 8 cu. ft. 2 cu. ft. / hr. 4 hours
3 cu. ft. / hr. 2.7 hours
4 cu. ft. / hr. 2.0 hours
5 cu. ft. / hr. 1.6 hours

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FURTHER QUESTIONS

If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact MMR Technologies, Inc:
Phone: +1 (650) 962-9620
Fax: +1 (650) 962-9647
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.mmr.com

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