Project Summary | Project Information |
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Project Summary Mechanical heat switches are devices used to assist in the cooling of test equipment in adiabatic demagnetization refrigerators (ADRs). They provide a physical pathway for heat to be conducted between a salt pill and a thermal sink. In this case, the thermal sink is liquid nitrogen or liquid helium. The salt pill is surrounded by an electromagnet. When powered on, the electromagnet aligns the molecules within the salt pill, forcing them to release energy. During this process, the heat switch is activated, and acts as a thermal bridge. The released heat from the salt pill flows through the switch and into the sink. The switch is then deactivated, severing the thermal connection, and the electromagnet is powered off. As the salt pillís molecules fall back into misalignment, they absorb heat from their surroundings, cooling the system. The switch and electromagnet are then re-engaged, and more heat is drawn into the sink. This process continues until the system reaches the desired temperature. Our project is to take an existing heat switch design, and miniaturize it for use in a smaller system, while still maintaining robustness, and the ability to conduct enough heat to effectively aid in the cooling of the system. |
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Team Members
From left to right, top to bottom: Roberto, Marty (guide), Jake, Anant, Megan, Eric, Chi (Grad Assistant), Paul, Mike (customer)
Member | Major | Role | Contact |
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Jake Watts-St. Germain | ME | Engineer & Team Lead | jpw2311@rit.edu |
Paul Giovannetti | ME | Engineer & Purchasing | pjg7286@rit.edu |
Megan McKendry | ME | Engineer & Documentation | mlm6679@rit.edu |
Eric Cooper | ME | Engineer & Manufacturing | ewc1730@rit.edu |
Anant Mehrotra | EE | Lead Electrical Engineer | axm8734@rit.edu |
Roberto Rico Bernal | EE | Test Stand Engineer | rxr8886@rit.edu |
Work Breakdown: By Phase
MSD I | MSD II |
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Work Breakdown: By Topic
Project Management | Design Tools | MSD Deliverables | Documentation + Turnover |
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Acknowledgements
- Dr. Mike Zemcov (Customer)
- Marty Pepe (Guide)
- RIT Center for Detectors Laboratory
- Chi Nguyen (Grad Assistant)
- Subject matter experts (Dr. Stevens, Dr. Boedo, Dr. Hopple)
- Manufacturing (Jan Maneti, Craig Arnold and Rick Wurzer)