Dynamic simulation of the helium refrigerator/liquefier for LHD Original Research Article

A real-time dynamic simulation has been carried out for the 10 kW class helium refrigerator/liquefier of Large Helical Device (LHD) at National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS). The refrigerator consists of eight screw compressors, seven expansion turbines, fourteen heat exchangers and a 20 m3 liquid helium reservoir. A simulation model was implemented to Cryogenic Process REal-time SimulaTor (C-PREST), developed as a platform for the plant process study and optimization. Validity of the simulation model has been confirmed based on the design values as well as the results of commissioning tests. This paper describes the cooldown process and expansion turbine trips during the operation. Difficulties of dynamic simulation for the large cryoplant are also discussed.