Fullcryo’s third-generation large-scale cryogenic refrigeration systems and liquefiers are leading indigenous cryogenic technology to new heights.
Relying on the decades-long technological accumulation of the Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (TIPC, CAS), Fullcryo has devoted over ten years to the development of large-scale cryogenic refrigeration equipment in the 2–20 K temperature range. Through continuous independent innovation across three product generations, Fullcryo has successfully broken long-standing foreign technological monopolies, established a comprehensive proprietary intellectual property system, and driven China’s cryogenic technology to achieve a historic leap—from “nothing to excellence” and from “following” to “running alongside” global leaders. These breakthroughs have laid a solid technological foundation for national security and the advancement of strategic high-technology sectors.
Focusing on Core Fields to Break “Bottleneck” Technologies
Large-scale cryogenic refrigeration equipment operating in the 20 K to 2 K temperature range, often referred to as “super-low-temperature factories,” is a critical enabling technology widely used in aerospace engineering, hydrogen energy storage and transportation, helium resource development, and the operation of major scientific facilities. As a cornerstone of high-end industrial upgrading, this field had long been dominated by foreign companies, forming a severe “bottleneck” that constrained China’s industrial development.
From its inception, Fullcryo precisely targeted this critical pain point. Leveraging the achievements of two generations of academicians from TIPC, CAS, and their strengths in technology transfer, Fullcryo built a fully integrated proprietary system covering R&D, manufacturing, and market application. Step by step, China’s cryogenic technology advanced from “filling the gap” to “performance leadership,” achieving steady and substantive progress.
Turbine Expander Breakthrough: Building the “Heart” of Cryogenic Systems
As the “heart” of large-scale cryogenic refrigeration equipment, the turbine expander has long been subject to foreign monopoly. To eliminate import dependence and establish an indigenous technology system, Fullcryo—together with TIPC, CAS—successfully developed a proprietary turbine expander whose key performance indicators are fully benchmarked against leading international products from companies such as Air Liquide (France) and Linde (Germany), with several metrics surpassing global peers.
The turbine expander operates at rotational speeds of up to 250,000 rpm, breaking foreign technical barriers in ultra-high-speed operation. Its adiabatic efficiency exceeds 80%, achieving international-class overall performance. Equipped with full gas-bearing technology, the system enables oil-free operation with low leakage, ensuring long-term stable performance under heavy-load and high-power conditions and delivering exceptional reliability.
From a structural design and cost perspective, the turbine expander is fully independently designed and domestically manufactured, successfully breaking Western technological blockades and export restrictions. Compared with imported alternatives, overall manufacturing costs are reduced by approximately 40%, while the entire lifecycle—from design and manufacturing to delivery—is fully controllable. Localized R&D and manufacturing also enable customized development, lower operation and maintenance costs, and faster after-sales response.
In terms of engineering adaptability, this turbine expander series covers 20 K–2 K temperature ranges and hundreds of watts to tens of kilowatts of cooling power, precisely matching the requirements of 10 kW-class Helium Refrigerators, helium liquefiers, and 10-ton/day hydrogen liquefaction systems. Its successful development provides robust support for China’s independently controllable cryogenic equipment industry chain.
Responding to Global Trends: Green, Intelligent, and High-Efficiency Development
The global refrigeration equipment market is undergoing a dual transformation toward green, low-carbon development and intelligent upgrading. Driven by carbon-neutrality policies, energy-efficiency standards are becoming increasingly stringent. Meanwhile, emerging high-tech sectors—including fusion energy, quantum computing, data centers, new energy, and advanced medical technologies—are imposing more demanding requirements on cryogenic precision, operational stability, and lifecycle cost control.
In response to these trends, Fullcryo has initiated the third-generation Cryogenic Refrigerator development program, placing technological innovation at its core. Through comprehensive product upgrades, Fullcryo aims to further strengthen performance advantages, meet diversified customer needs, and inject strong momentum into high-quality development across multiple industries.
Five Core Objectives Driving Comprehensive Product Upgrades
Fullcryo has defined five strategic upgrade objectives for its third-generation cryogenic refrigerators:
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Energy Efficiency Enhancement
Achieve a significant breakthrough in overall system efficiency, with a markedly improved coefficient of performance (COP). -
Technological Autonomy
Continuously increase localization and performance of core components, including turbine expanders, cold compressors, high-efficiency heat exchangers, and cryogenic valves, consolidating a fully controllable industrial foundation. -
Green Lifecycle Transformation
Optimize system design and selection, establish a comprehensive after-sales service system, and build a consumables recycling and regeneration framework to achieve low-carbon operation throughout the entire product lifecycle. -
Intelligent Operation & Maintenance
Construct a full-chain intelligent O&M system integrating load prediction, fault early warning, and remote control, significantly reducing user operation and maintenance costs. -
Expanded Application Scenarios
Form a diversified product matrix serving fusion energy, quantum information, space technology, advanced medical equipment, precision manufacturing, major scientific facilities, and national defense, continuously expanding market share in segmented fields.
Three Generations of Iteration: A Milestone of Independent Innovation
Each generation of Fullcryo’s large-scale cryogenic refrigerators represents a firm step forward in independent innovation and a testament to the rise of domestic technology.
First Generation (2016–2020): From “0” to “1”
Leveraging TIPC’s core technologies, Fullcryo successfully developed China’s first L40 series helium liquefiers, overcoming the stability challenges of ultra-high-speed helium gas-bearing turbine expanders. This achievement enabled breakthroughs in hundreds-of-watt-class helium refrigerators and liquefiers, with products such as 200 W, 400 W, and 500 W @ 4.5 K, marking the first realization of large-scale cryogenic equipment localization in China.
These systems were successively deployed in major projects, including the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) facility, linear superconducting accelerators, and the HT-7U tokamak, signifying that China had officially acquired standardized and serialized design and manufacturing capabilities for helium liquefiers and hundred-watt-class cryogenic refrigerators.
Since 2019, Fullcryo’s core cryogenic systems have been continuously delivered to cutting-edge fields such as nuclear fusion and particle accelerators. The 200 W @ 4.5 K helium refrigerator was exported to KSTAR, supporting long-pulse tokamak operation. In 2020, a 2000 W @ 20 K helium refrigerator was applied to cryogenic separation systems, while the 400 W @ 4.5 K system provided 2 K precooling and stable operation for superconducting accelerator platforms—marking the full entry of domestic cryogenic equipment into large-scale engineering applications.
Fullcryo Series of Hundred-Watt-Class Helium Refrigerators
Second Generation (2020–2025): Performance Leap to International Advanced Level
The second generation achieved three major breakthroughs in performance, energy consumption, and modular design. The 850 W @ 4.5 K helium refrigerator exceeded design benchmarks across all metrics, significantly reduced energy consumption, and improved assembly and maintenance efficiency through modular architecture. It has operated stably for over 15,000 hours at the Southern Advanced Photon Source test platform, elevating China’s kilowatt-class cryogenic system capabilities to the international advanced level.
During this period, Fullcryo delivered more than 30 sets of kilowatt-class refrigerators and liquefiers, widely applied in controlled nuclear fusion, quantum technology, low-altitude economy, oil and gas development, and medical sectors, forming a large-scale demonstration of industrial deployment.
Fullcryo has now established a complete product portfolio from hundreds of watts to kilowatts, including:
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500 W @ 4.5 K helium refrigerators for superconducting accelerators, tokamaks, and heavy-ion therapy systems
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600 W @ 4.5 K systems for distributed cryogenic networks
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850 W / 1000 W / 4000 W @ 4.5 K systems for superconducting laboratories, advanced photon sources, and national laboratories
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2000 W @ 20 K systems for cryogenic separation and platform cooling
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500 W @ 2 K systems for high-gradient superconducting cavity vertical testing
Helium liquefiers form a 40–300 L/h product series:
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FHL-40 for quantum computing and communication
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FHL-70 for helium recovery and low-altitude economy applications
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FHL-280 / FHL-300 for helium extraction from LNG-BOG in oil and gas fields, significantly enhancing China’s helium resource security
Fullcryo 40–300 L/h Series Helium Liquefaction Systems
Third-Generation Launch: A New Journey in Cryogenic Technology
The upcoming third-generation cryogenic refrigerators and liquefiers are designed around the five core upgrade objectives, with efficiency and reliability as central priorities. By exploring advanced materials and innovative structural designs, the new generation delivers substantial improvements in both performance and practical value.
Key advantages include:
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Significantly improved COP, reaching internationally advanced levels
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Enhanced low-carbon lifecycle operation, supporting comprehensive after-sales and recycling systems
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Integrated intelligent O&M, enabling load prediction, fault warning, and remote control to dramatically reduce user operating costs
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Broader multi-scenario adaptability, providing stronger cryogenic support for quantum computing, controlled nuclear fusion, space technology, and advanced medical applications
These innovations directly address strategic challenges such as helium resource security, transforming technological innovation, energy efficiency improvement, green transition, and application adaptability into tangible competitive advantages.
From Catch-Up to Leadership
From filling technological gaps with its first generation to driving comprehensive upgrades with its third generation, Fullcryo has steadily broken foreign monopolies through continuous independent innovation. This progress is propelling China’s large-scale cryogenic refrigeration technology from “catch-up” and “parallel development” toward global leadership, providing critical support for controlled nuclear fusion, quantum science, aerospace engineering, and helium resource security.
Fullcryo’s Third-Generation Refrigeration System Set to Make Its Debut
At the same time, Fullcryo is building an internationally competitive indigenous cryogenic equipment industrial ecosystem, writing a new chapter in China’s high-end equipment manufacturing breakthrough and global rise.