High-volume 100 Liter-per-day SEOP Polarization of 3He

We describe a novel apparatus for large-scale production of polarized 3He using Spin-Exchange Optical Pumping (SEOP). The large optical pumping cell is enclosed inside a pressure containment vessel to equalize the differential pressure across the glass cell walls. Numerical simulations of laser absorption and spin-transfer guided our choice of pressure, temperature, and laser power. Computational fluid dynamics simulations of the two-zone thermal bath environment revealed buoyancy-induced flow which favored operation inclined at an angle. We prepared and tested three separate 8.5 liter cells at internal pressures up to six amagat (50 bar-liters) with hybrid alkali ratios of K:Rb of 10:1 by mass (4.4:1 by number ratio) and at temperatures up to 250°C. An early prototype used a 1.4 kW broadband laser, while our most recent prototype incorporated a new 2.2kW spectrally narrowed external cavity laser. Using small surface coil NMR to measure polarization, we obtained spin-up rates greater than 20% per hour consistent with our numerical simulations. Unfortunately, each cell installation to date has been compromised, limiting T1 relaxation times to 12 hours and asymptotic polarizations to values below 50%. If a cell could be installed with 50 hour lifetime and X-factor of 0.2, this polarizer will deliver 50 liters of over 70% polarized 3He twice each day.