Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.

Eric Marquardt

Jeffrey A Schmidt

Embodiments of the disclosed invention relate to providing cooling to instruments or other components. More particularly, hydrogen from a store is provided to pre-cool helium contained within a closed loop refrigeration circuit. Helium pre-cooled by the hydrogen, for example after expansion of the hydrogen in an expansion valve, is itself passed through an expansion valve, and applied to a heat load. The helium can be circulated through the refrigeration circuit using a compressor. The hydrogen used for pre-cooling the helium can be from a store of hydrogen that also provides fuel to a hydrogen consumer, for example for propulsion of a vehicle carrying the cooling system or for the production of electrical power. A hydrogen consumer can also be provided with hydrogen that has first been used to pre-cool the helium refrigeration circuit.

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Boulder, CO, United States of America

Eric Marquardt