Dynamic modeling of a liquid helium cryostat at the Canadian Light Source

Abstract This work includes the creation and validation of a computer model of a liquid helium cryostat located at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) in Saskatoon, Canada. This cryostat contains a superconducting radio frequency (RF) cavity, and requires careful pressure and level modulation to ensure proper RF control. A detailed mathematical model of the cryostat is generated based on gas and liquid mass balances for a boiling vessel, along with pressure–volume–temperature relations. The model is discretized and solved, and model results are compared with experimental data taken from the actual cryostat at the CLS to determine the accuracy of the simulation. The model is found to reasonably represent the cryostat at the CLS from a process perspective.