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INTRODUCTION
1.1 Cryocoolers
Cryocoolers are small refrigerators that can reach cryogenic temperatures and provide
refrigeration in the temperature below 120 K. The use of Cryocoolers has been propelled
by many necessities of modern day applications such as adequate refrigeration at specified
temperature with low power input, long lifetime, reliable and maintenance free operation
with minimum vibration and noise, compactness, and lightweight. The requirements
imposed in each of these applications have been difficult to meet and have been the impetus
for considerable research in the field of Cryocoolers for the past forty years.
Typical applications of Cryocoolers are:
Liquefaction of gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, helium,
natural gas
Cooling of super-conducting magnets
Cooling of infra-red sensors for missile guidance
Cryo vacuum pumps
SQUID magnetometers
Gamma ray sensors for monitoring nuclear activity
Cooling of high temperature superconductors and semiconductors
Cryosurgery
Preservation of biological materials, blood, biological specimens etc.
Recuperative types, as shown in figure 1.1, utilize continuous flow of the refrigerant in one
direction, analogous to a DC electrical system. As a result, the compressor and expander
must have inlet and outlet valves to control the flow direction, unless rotary or turbine
compressor or expanders are used. The recuperative heat exchangers have two or more
separate flow channels. The performance of the recuperative cryocoolers is dependent on
the properties of the working fluids used. Also, the maximum exergy loss in most
cryocoolers occurs in the compressor. The main advantage of DC cryocoolers, however, is
that they can be scaled to any size (up to few MW of refrigeration).
Regenerative types, as shown in figure 1.2, the refrigerant undergoes an oscillating flow or
an oscillating pressure analogous to an AC electrical system. The compressor and the
pressure oscillator for the regenerative cycles need no inlet or outlet valves. The
regenerator has only one flow channel, and the heat is stored for a half cycle in the
regenerator matrix, which must have a high heat capacity. The performance of the
regenerative type cryocoolers is dependent on the phase difference between the pressure
and mass flow rate phasors. Helium is the refrigerant of choice for most regenerative type
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cryocoolers. The main disadvantage with regenerative type cryocoolers is that they cannot
be scaled to large sizes like the recuperative cryocoolers.
2.2Uses
Pulse tube cryocoolers are used in industrial applications such as semiconductor
fabrication and in military applications such as for the cooling of infrared sensors. Pulse
tubes are also being developed for cooling of astronomical detectors where liquid
cryogens are typically used, such as the Atacama Cosmology Telescope or the Qubic
experiment (an interferometer for cosmology studies). PTR's are used as precoolers of
dilution refrigerators. Pulse tubes will be particularly useful in space-based telescopes
where it is not possible to replenish the cryogens as they are depleted. It has also been
suggested that pulse tubes could be used to liquefy oxygen on Mars.
called a GM-type PTR. The gas flows through the valves are accompanied by losses
which are absent in the Stirling-type PTR. PTR's can be classified according to their
shape. If the regenerator and the tube are in line (as in Fig.1) we talk about a linear
PTR. The disadvantage of the linear PTR is that the cold spot is in the middle of the
cooler. For many applications it is preferable that the cooling is produced at the end of
the cooler. By bending the PTR we get a U-shaped cooler. Both hot ends can be
mounted on the flange of the vacuum chamber at room temperature. This is the most
common shape of PTR's. For some applications it is preferable to have a cylindrical
geometry. In that case the PTR can be constructed in a coaxial way so that the
regenerator becomes a ring-shaped space surrounding the tube.
The lowest temperature, reached with single-stage PTR's, is just above 10 K. [14]
However, one PTR can be used to precool the other. The hot end of the second tube is
connected to room temperature and not to the cold end of the first stage. In this clever
way it is avoided that the heat, released at the hot end of the second tube, is a load on
the first stage. In applications the first stage also operates as a temperature-anchoring
platform for e.g. shield cooling of superconducting-magnet cryostats. Matsubara and
Gao were the first to cool below 4K with a three-stage PTR. [15].
Q = H H
c
--- (1)
P V=0.5*P V Cos
d
ideal OPTR and leading to Eqs. (4) and (5) was discussed as early as 1986 by Radebaugh
and refined over the next few years.
usual 4He as refrigerant by its rare isotope 3He. Later this record was broken by the
Giessen Group that managed to get even below 1.3 K. In a collaboration between the
groups from Giessen and Eindhoven a temperature of 1.2 K was reached by combining
a PTR with a superfluid vortex cooler.
liquid helium temperature. With this configuration a lowest temperature of 3.6K and a
cooling capacity of 119mW at 4.9K were achieved by a three-stage pulse tube refrigerator.
The test results and refrigeration performance of this refrigerator are also presented.
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The below graph shows the cool-down of the three stages vs time. One interesting thing
to notice is that the temperature of each stage is decreasing as stages go ahead.
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The cooling performance on the third stage is shown below. The cooling capacity decreases
as the cooling temperature is lowered.
Figure: 2.6 cooling performance of third stage in three stage pulse tube refrigerator
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Q. Cao, L.M. Qiu, Z.H. Gan, Y.B. Yu, X.Q. Zhi presented a paper on A Three-Stage
Stirling Pulse Tube Cryocooler Approaching 4 K. A three-stage Stirling PTC is proposed
to investigate the cooling mechanism at different temperature ranges. The three separated
stages operate at LN2, LH2, LHe temperatures, which are all important temperature ranges
for cryogenics. The thermal-coupled structure employs three thermal bridges to connect
these stages. Each thermal bridge is detachable, which is convenient for assembling. It also
allows for a straight forward independent calibration of its thermal resistance, which is
helpful for the energy analysis. A schematic view of the three stage is shown in Figure 2.9.
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Parameter
1st stage
2nd stage
3rd stage
Frequency (Hz)
40
30
30
2.0
1.0
1.0
250
170
60
37
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4.9
Cooling power
15W@80K
1.4W@20K
60mW@6K
Relative Carnot
16.5%
11.5%
4.9%
Required Precooling
None
8W@90K
4.5W@90K
1.2W@20K
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2.8
Conclusion
From the report we can conclude the following.
a) Pulse-tube cryocooler is very useful in space application.
b) Staging in pulse-tube reduces the cooling power in subsequent stages.
c) Staging in pulse tube cryocoolers decreases the temperature as stages
increases.
d) This type of cryocoolers cannot be scaled to meet different sizes.
e) Two stage pulse-tube cryocoolers are available commercially. Three stage
pulse tube cryocoolers are still in development phase.
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3. References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_tube_refrigerator
2. D. Durand, R. Colbert, NGST Advanced Cryocooler Technology Development
Program (ACTDP) Cooler System
3. D. Durand, D. Adachi, D. Harvey, Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI) Cooler
Subsystem Design
4. Akshat Agrawal, Abhishek Soni, Design and an Experimental Investigation of Two
Stage Pulse Tube Refrigerator, SSRG International Journal of Mechanical
Engineering (SSRG-IJME) volume1 issue 4 August2014
5. Computational study of a 4 K two stage pulse tube cryo cooler with mixed EulerianLangrangian method, Y.L. Ju, Cryogenics 41 (2001)
6. Novel configuration of three-stage pulse tube refrigerator for temperatures
below 4 K, Y. Matsubara and J.L. Gao, Cryogenics 34,4
7. High frequency two-stage pulse tube cryocooler with base temperature below 20
K, L.W. Yang , G. Thummes, Cryogenics 45 (2005) 155159
8. Low capacity Cryogenic Refrigeration, G. Walker, E.R. Bingham, Clerendon press,
oxford 1994
9. 10K Pulse Tube Cooler, T. Nguyen, R. Colbert, D. Durand, C. Jaco, M. Michaelian,
and E. Tward Northrop Grumman Space Technology Redondo Beach, CA, USA
10. High Capacity Staged Pulse Tube, C. Jaco, T. Nguyen, D. Harvey, E. Tward,
NGST, Redondo Beach, Cryocoolers 13
11. Various volumes of Cryocoolers
12. www.cryomech.com
13. http://www.northropgrumman.com/Capabilities/HighEfficiencyCryocoolers/Page
s/default.aspx
14. A Three-Stage Stirling Pulse Tube Cryocooler Approaching 4 K, Q. Cao, L.M. Qiu,
Z.H. Gan, Y.B. Yu, X.Q. Zhi
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