Miniature Pulse Tube Cryocooler Research Articles

Comparative Study on Performance of Regenerator for Miniature Pulse Tube Cryocooler with Metal Matrix Materials at Ultra High Frequencies

A Miniature Pulse Tube Cryocooler (MPTC) is the first selection for the cooling of IR sensors, infrared detectors, etc. in space technology. The regenerator is one of the key components to operate an MPTC at high efficiency. The objective of this study is to explore the possibilities of the different matrices as regenerator filler materials for MPTC operating at ultra-high frequencies. REGEN 3.3 is one of the best software available for the design and optimization of cryocooler regenerators. We have used REGEN 3.3 for numerical simulations of the three different regenerator matrix materials viz. stainless steel wire mesh screen (SS 635#), brass wire mesh screen (500#) and copper wire mesh screen (500#) at the hot end and cold end temperatures of 300[Formula: see text]K and 80[Formula: see text]K for COP, cooling power, total power losses and pressure losses, at an ultra-high frequency of 100[Formula: see text]Hz and 200[Formula: see text]Hz. The simulation results depict that the regenerator using stainless steel mesh screen shows better results than that of the brass mesh screen and copper mesh screen at 100[Formula: see text]Hz. However, the performance of brass mesh screen and copper mesh screen performs better than the stainless steel at 200[Formula: see text]Hz. Therefore, the proposed matrix materials can be used as regenerator materials for the MPTC at ultra-high frequencies with better performances.

Sensitivity analysis on miniaturize pulse tube boundary layer losses

Miniaturized cryocooler systems are among the key components of state-of-art infrared sensing small satellites (SmallSats). To achieve small size, these cryocoolers need to operate at high frequencies, e.g., 200 to 300 Hz range. High frequency leads to lower compression and expansion swept volumes and hence a smaller cryocooler. Previously we showed that pulse tube cryocoolers have high boundary layer losses for small size pulse tube diameters, which results in low thermodynamic efficiency. In this follow-up study we present a sensitivity analysis on the pulse tube boundary layer losses and investigate the effects of the bounding temperatures, pulse tube aspect ratio, operating frequency and pulse tube diameter. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used for this sensitivity analysis. The results allow us to find the threshold conditions beyond which a miniature pulse tube cryocooler can no longer be effective for use at high frequencies.

Experimental study on the coupling characteristics of 100 Hz inertance tube pulse tube cryocooler working under optimal frequcency

Miniature pulse tube cryocooler is one of the main developing trends of pulse tube cryocooler. Four pulse tube cold fingers, two compressors and a series of inerance tube assemblies are employed to carry out the experimental investigation of coupling characteristic of miniature pulse tube cryocooler. It is concluded that the cooling performance of miniature pulse tube cryocooler is determined by the match conditions among its compressor, cold finger and inertance tube. If the three parts of cooler match well, the cold finger can achieve nearly same cooling performance under two totally different working conditions.

Numerical analysis of miniature coaxial Stirling type pulse tube cryocooler with a modified reservoir

A Numerical model of a compact coaxial Stirling pulse tube cryocooler with a cooling capacity not less than 2W at 80K is done. The performance characteristics with varying geometrical parameters are simulated. The Inertance Pulse Tube Cryocooler (IPTC) with a modified reservoir is suggested, where the reverse fluctuation of pressure in the compressor case is used instead of the steady pressure in the reservoir to shift the phase of the flow velocity the hot end of the pulse tube. Therefore, the large reservoir volume of the cryocooler could be reduced, to make the cryocooler compact. The performance of the cryocooler was investigated and compared with the IPTC. The simulation results show that the cryocooler with modified reservoir can work as efficient as inertance type pulse tube cryocooler.

Miniature PT Cryocooler Activated by Resonant Piezoelectric Compressor and Passive Warm Expander

A novel type of PZT-based compressor operating at mechanical resonance, suitable for pneumatically-driven Stirling-type cryocoolers, was presented at CEC-ICMC 2015. The detailed concept, analytical model and the test results on the preliminary prototype were reported earlier and presented at ICC17. Despite some mismatch between the impedances and insufficient structural stiffness, this compressor demonstrated the feasibility to drive our miniature Pulse Tube cryocooler MTSa, operating at 103 Hz and requiring an average PV power of 11 W, filling pressure of 40 Bar and a pressure ratio of 1.3. At ICC19 the prototype of a miniature passive warm expander (WE) was presented. The WE mechanism included a phase shifting piston suspended on a silicone diaphragm, a mass element, and a viscous damping system. Several technical drawbacks prevented perfect matching between the WE and MTSa; however, the presented prototype proved the ability to create any flow-to-pressure phase appropriate for a PT cryocooler. This paper concentrates on integration of the MTSa cryocooler with the recently modified PZT compressor operating at corrected mechanical resonance and the modified WE, which was also updated recently to match the MTSa requirements.

An efficient miniature 120 Hz pulse tube cryocooler using high porosity regenerator material

A 1.22 kg coaxial miniature pulse tube cryocooler (MPTC) has been fabricated and tested in our laboratory to provide cooling for cryogenic applications demanding compactness, low mass and rapid cooling rate. The geometrical parameters of regenerator, pulse tube and phase shifter are optimized. The investigation demonstrates that using higher mesh number and thinner wire diameter of stainless steel screen (SSS) can promote the coefficient of performance (COP) when the MPTC operates at 120 Hz. In this study, the 604 mesh SSS with 17 μm diameter of mesh wire is constructed as filler of regenerator. The experimental results show the MPTC operating at 120 Hz achieves a no-load temperature of 53.5 K with 3.8 MPa charging pressure, and gets a cooling power of 2 W at 80 K with 55 W input electric power which has a relative Carnot efficiency of 9.68%.

Numerical study of a miniature scale pulse tube cryocooler: The effects of operating conditions

This article studies the effect of operating frequency and fill pressure on the performance of a high frequency miniature scale pulse tube cryocooler. Pulse tube cryocoolers are robust, rough cryocoolers without a moving component at their cold ends. They are usually used in cryogenic cooling of high-performance electronics in space applications where reliability is vital. Miniaturizing cryocoolers is vital because their minimal size and weight facilitates many applications such as space operations. In spite of extensive studies, the extent of possible pulse tube cryocooler miniaturization is not clear. For miniature cryocoolers, computational fluid dynamics modeling is the best available method to accurately represent the processes that occur in the device as the scale is reduced. The present computational fluid dynamics simulation results indicate the significant influence of the operating frequency on the performance of the miniature pulse tube cryocooler and slight improvement of the performance as the fill pressure increases.

A cryogenic tensile testing apparatus for micro-samples cooled by miniature pulse tube cryocooler

This paper introduces a cryogenic tensile testing apparatus for micro-samples cooled by a miniature pulse tube cryocooler. At present, tensile tests are widely applied to measure the mechanical properties of materials; most of the cryogenic tensile testing apparatus are designed for samples with standard sizes, while for non-standard size samples, especially for microsamples, the tensile testing cannot be conducted. The general approach to cool down the specimens for tensile testing is by using of liquid nitrogen or liquid helium, which is not convenient: it is difficult to keep the temperature of the specimens at an arbitrary set point precisely, besides, in some occasions, liquid nitrogen, especially liquid helium, is not easily available. To overcome these limitations, a cryogenic tensile testing apparatus cooled by a high frequency pulse tube cryocooler has been designed, built and tested. The operating temperatures of the developed tensile testing apparatus cover from 20 K to room temperature with a controlling precision of ±10 mK. The apparatus configurations, the methods of operation and some cooling performance will be described in this paper.

Linear Resonance Compressor for Stirling-Type Cryocoolers Activated by Piezoelectric Stack-Type Elements

A novel type of a PZT- based compressor operating at mechanical resonance, suitable for pneumatically-driven Stirling-type cryocoolers was developed theoretically and built practically during this research. A resonance operation at relatively low frequency was achieved by incorporating the piezo ceramics into the moving part, and by reducing the effective piezo stiffness using hydraulic amplification. The detailed concept, analytical model and the test results of the preliminary prototype were reported earlier and presented at ICC17 [2]. A fine agreement between the simulations and experiments spurred development of the current actual compressor designed to drive a miniature Pulse Tube cryocooler, particularly our MTSa model, which operates at 103 Hz and requires an average PV power of 11 W, filling pressure of 40 Bar and a pressure ratio of 1.3. The paper concentrates on design aspects and optimization of the governing parameters. The small stroke to diameter ratio (about 1:10) allows for the use of a composite diaphragm instead of a clearance-seal piston. The motivation is to create an adequate separation between the working fluid and the buffer gas of the compressor, thus preventing possible contamination in the cryocooler. Providing efficiency and power density similar to those of conventional linear compressors, the piezo compressor may serve as a good alternative for cryogenic applications requiring extreme reliability and absence of magnetic field interference.

Development of a Miniature Pulse Tube Cryocooler of 2.5W at 65K for Telecommunication Applications

The Fuji Electric Group has established main technologies with high reliability for use in Stirling cryocoolers for space satellite systems. For commercial applications, we also have developed and started selling a miniature pulse tube cryocooler from 2W to 3W at 70K with 100W electric power input. In the development of a new compressor, we introduce a moving magnet to a driving system to achieve greater compactness and higher efficiency in place of the moving coil that had about 70% efficiency. In addition, we adopted a coaxial pulse tube as an expander for compactness. This development is aimed at cooling a high-temperature superconductive (HTS) device in a wireless telecommunication system. The compressor requires total compression work of 75W with 90% efficiency for longer than 50,000 hours. Preliminary tests of each part of a moving magnet linear motor and a coaxial pulse tube have been completed. In the next phase, we have made a first-stage prototype compressor used by the new linear motor, and we have tested the new machine. Here we describe each test and combination test results of the cryocooler.

Overview of Lockheed Martin cryocoolers

Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center (LM-ATC) in Palo Alto, California, has been active in space cryogenic developments for over 30 years. In prior years, work focused on stored cryogen systems for temperatures up to 125 K. As the mechanical cryocoolers matured and demonstrated reliable operation these stored cryogen systems gradually became replaced. LM-ATC is currently developing solid hydrogen systems for temperatures below 7 K [Naes L, Wu S, Cannon J. WISE solid hydrogen cryostat design overview. In: Proceedings of SPIE, cryogenic optical systems and instruments XI, vol. 5904, August, 2005], but these coolers will soon be replaced by mechanical cryocoolers. This paper will present a summary of cryocooler developments at LM-ATC and will describe the recent performance of multiple stage systems. A four-stage pulse tube cryocooler developed under contract to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has been recently developed and operated at 3.8 K [Olson JR, Moore M, Champagne P, Roth E, Evtimov B, Jensen J, et al. Development of a space-type-4-stage pulse tube cryocooler for very low temperatures, Adv Cryogen Engr, vol. 50, Amer Inst of Physics, New York, in press]. Coolers with one, two and three stages have also been widely developed [Nast TC et al. Miniature pulse tube cryocooler for space applications. Cryocoolers, vol. 11. New York: Plenum Press; 2000. p. 145–54; Olson J et al. Development of a 10 K pulse tube cryocooler for space applications. In: Ross R, editor. Cryocoolers, vol. 12. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; 2003. p. 241–6; Nast TC et al. Lockheed Martin two-stage pulse tube cryocooler for GIFTS. Cryocoolers, vol. 13. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; 2005; Frank D et al. Lockheed Martin RAMOS engineering model cryocooler. Cryocoolers, vol. 13. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; 2005]. A staging approach is required to achieve very low temperatures, and also provides cooling at warmer temperatures, which is invariably beneficial in reducing heat loads to the lower temperature stages, or for cooling other system components. For example, our two-stage cooler [Nast TC et al. Lockheed Martin two-stage pulse tube cryocooler for GIFTS. Cryocoolers, vol. 13. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; 2005; Frank D et al. Lockheed Martin RAMOS engineering model cryocooler. Cryocoolers, vol. 13. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers; 2005] is used to cool a low-temperature focal plane as well as a higher temperature optical sensor, using a single compressor and electronics at a substantial benefit in weight, reliability and cost.

C07 小型パルスチューブ冷凍機の振動測定

A Pulse tube cryocooler of simple structure without moving part in the expander has the advantage over a stirling cryocooler of low vibration and long life. So its wide uses for space crafts and high-temperature superconductor devices are extended. Recently Fuji Electric has developed a pulse tube cryocooler with cooling capacity of 2.5W at 70K, based on the technology of the stirling cryocooler for the space crafts. This paper describes the vibration measurement of a miniature pulse tube cryocooler.

Study on miniature pulse tube cryocooler for space application

Pulse tube refrigerator (PTR) is a new type of mechanical cryocooler with the potential of long-term operation in space. Theoretical and experimental studies are currently on the way in the Cryogenic Laboratory of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CL/CAS) in order to develop a 85 K/250 mW class pulse tube cryocooler to be used to cool space-borne infrared devices. A theoretical model is established based on the analyses of the thermodynamic behavior of gas parcels in oscillating flow regenerators. It helps us to understand the cooler and can be used to study the influence of DC flow on the refrigeration performance. The flow resistance of the regenerator is an important factor for the cooler performance. A test bench, including a hot-wire anemometer has been set up to investigate the flow resistance characteristics of regenerators with oscillating flow. The results of measurement are correlated and served for practical design. The Oxford type linear pressure wave generator with flexure bearings is also under development in CL/CAS. The prototype miniature pulse tube cryocooler, driven by a linear pressure wave generator of 1.06 cm 3 maximum swept volume, provides at present 200 mW net cooling power at 81 K with 28.4 W input power. Improvements are being made to further increase the cooling power and reduce the input power.