A Case Study of MgB2 and HTS Magnets Being Cooled and Cooled Down using a Hydrogen Thermal-siphon Cooling-loop with Coolers

When one fabricates a magnet using MgB2 or HTS conductors, the operating temperature of the magnet can be increased into the temperature range from about 15 to 30 K. This temperature range is between the triple-point (13.8 K) and the critical point of para-hydrogen (32.3 K). Hydrogen has excellent heat transfer properties both as a liquid and as a gas at low temperature. The heat of vaporization of hydrogen is larger than any cryogenic fluid. In addition, the specific heat of the liquid and the gas is higher than any cryogenic fluid. Hydrogen may be the best fluid to use to connect a magnet operating between 15 and 30 K with a source of refrigeration. This paper compares magnet cooling at 20 K using helium and hydrogen. A safe completely passive cooling loop is discussed in this paper.