On 18 February, a specialized cryogenic transport tank for liquid helium was delivered to VBLHEP JINR. This unique equipment is one of the main elements of the NICA accelerator infrastructure and has been delivered under a contract between JINR and the R&D company “Geliymash”.

The arrived tank container is designed for the storage and transportation of liquid helium and has a volume of 40 m³. At the moment, VBLHEP JINR is preparing for thermal engineering tests of this high-tech equipment. It will be possible to use such containers to provide medical and scientific centres with helium.

It should be noted that the cooperation of JINR with JSC “R&D Geliymash” dates back to the early 1970s of the 20th century. The result of this cooperation at that time was the development of the first Russian stock helium and cryogenic facilities KGU-250 and KGU-1600.

In 1993, this partnership played a decisive role in the implementation of scientific projects of the Institute. At that difficult for the Institute time, at the suggestion of JSC “Geliymash”, the liquefaction of helium and refuelling of transport containers for import were carried out at JINR. This allowed creating a financial base for the construction of the Nuclotron, the first superconducting synchrotron in Europe.

Nowadays, the organizations support close contacts working in the fields of cryogenic equipment, including joint research, the development of large-scale cryogenic complexes, and commissioning. Moreover, JSC “R&D Geliymash” created a steam-liquid turbine specially for JINR, which had a rotation speed of up to five thousand revolutions per second, operated in a two-phase helium medium. This device allowed increasing the cooling capacity of facilities by 25 – 50 %. This became possible thanks to the rejection of the classic design with a throttle valve in the liquefaction stage the use of which did not lead to effective work. Now, compressed gas in new equipment spins the turbine, performs work, and this provides the efficiency increase.

Read more about JINR-Geliymash cooperation (PDF)

In 2021, JSC “R&D Geliymash” celebrates its 90th anniversary. The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research congratulates JSC “R&D Geliymash” on the 90th anniversary and wishes its long-standing partner prosperity, interesting orders, and new challenges!