Speaker
Description
Below the 77 K of liquid nitrogen, the practical liquid-cryogen candidates are essentially three, namely helium, hydrogen, and neon. Among them neon is distinctive. It liquefies near 27 K, possesses an exceptionally high volumetric latent heat, about forty times that of helium and three times that of hydrogen, and, as an inert noble gas, is non-flammable and does not embrittle materials. It avoids the explosion-proofing and material precautions that hydrogen demands, a practical advantage for high-temperature-superconductor (HTS) cooling.
Usable neon, however, is scarce. The atmosphere is its only terrestrial reservoir (~65 billion tonnes), yet at ~18 ppm neon is recovered only as a trace by-product of cryogenic air separation run mainly for bulk oxygen, nitrogen and argon. Global production is just a few hundred tonnes per year, a negligible fraction of the reservoir. Conventional liquefaction also depends on energy-intensive refrigerators with helium.
We examine the significance and feasibility of producing neon from the cold energy released when liquid hydrogen (LH₂) is regasified. Heat exchange with LH₂ can liquefy and purify neon without a helium refrigerator, converting otherwise-wasted cold into product. Thermophysical and energy-balance considerations indicate the cold is abundant relative to demand. The true constraint is the dilute air feedstock. As hydrogen infrastructure expands, such a route could progressively enlarge the neon inventory humanity can practically use, helping enable wider HTS deployment.
| Submitters Country | Japan |
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| Are you a student? | No |
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