A 260-Liter Test Stand for Liquid Argon R&D

TL;DR

This paper presents a 260-liter liquid argon test stand with innovative purification and rapid cycle capabilities, supporting detector R&D for large LArTPC experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a pump-free argon purification system with an upgraded condenser, enabling quick detector component testing and purity measurement in a medium-scale setup.

Findings

Achieved an electron lifetime of 0.5 ms in LAr.

System can complete operational cycles within 7 days.

Enhanced condenser increases thermal contact area by a factor of 13.

Abstract

We describe the design and performance of a 260-liter liquid argon (LAr) cryogenic test stand for liquid argon detector research and development at BNL. The system uses gas-phase argon purification with continuous pump-free circulation, in which boil-off argon gas is purified, recondensed, and returned to the cryostat by gravity without a mechanical recirculation pump; it also incorporates an upgraded condenser that increases the effective thermal contact area by a factor of 13 relative to the previously developed 20-liter system reported perviously. A liquid argon purity monitor is installed to measure the electron lifetime directly in LAr, enabling quantitative characterization of charge attenuation due to electronegative impurities. Under the operating conditions reported here, the demonstrated electron lifetime is 0.5 ms. The system is designed to enable rapid iteration of detector components in complete operational cycles, including pump-down, leak verification, cryogenic fill, stable operation, and warm-up, which can be completed within 7 days. Such a fast turnaround time, together with the medium-scale liquid volume and direct purity diagnostics, makes the facility well suited for testing and refining detector designs in support of large liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) experiments.