Abstract: A dilution refrigerator and a method for operating same as described. The dilution refrigerator comprising a plurality of cryostats each comprising a plurality of temperature-controlled flanges inside a vacuum chamber, the temperature-controlled flanges cooled to progressively lower temperatures. Dilution units are disposed inside each of the cryostats and operable to cool at least a subset of the temperature-controlled flanges. A gas handling system is fluidly coupled to the plurality of cryostats and comprises a flow circuit and flow control devices interconnecting a gas mixture reservoir with the dilution units. A controller is coupled to the gas handling system and configured for operating the flow control devices in accordance with a sequence of operations that open and close paths in the flow circuit that allow a gas mixture to circulate between the gas mixture reservoir and the dilution units.