Abstract: An insulated cooling probe including a probe sleeve assembly having an annular insulating jacket shaped in the vicinity of an evacuation vent to achieve a deeper vacuum within the insulating space than is applied to the vent, and a coolant inlet passageway and a coolant exit passageway bounded by a coolant passageway wall disposed within the insulating jacket, the probe also including a cooling tip extending outwardly from the sleeve assembly at one end of the probe and including a cooling region into which coolant enters from the coolant inlet passageway and from which coolant exits into the coolant exit passageway. The coolant expands across an orifice when upon exiting the coolant inlet passageway and entering the cooling tip. The coolant flowing in the coolant inlet passageway is pre-cooled in a heat transfer region of the probe by transferring heat to coolant flowing in the coolant exit passageway.

Abstract: An article includes walls defining an insulating space therebetween and a vent forming an exit for gas molecules during evacuation of the space. A distance separating the walls is variable in a portion adjacent the vent such that gas molecules are directed towards the vent imparting a greater probability of molecule egress than ingress such that deeper vacuum is developed without requiring getter material. The variable-distance portion may be formed by converging walls. Alternatively, a portion of one of the walls may be formed such that a normal line at any location within that portion is directed substantially towards a vent opening in the other wall.

Abstract: An article includes walls defining an insulating space therebetween and a vent forming an exit for gas molecules during evacuation of the space. A distance separating the walls is variable in a portion adjacent the vent such that gas molecules are directed towards the vent imparting a greater probability of molecule egress than ingress such that deeper vacuum is developed without requiring getter material. The variable-distance portion may be formed by converging walls. Alternatively, a portion of one of the walls may be formed such that a normal line at any location within that portion is directed substantially towards a vent opening in the other wall.