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PUBLICATIONS

Investigation of Flow Nonuniformities in a Large 50 K Pulse Tube Cryocooler

Published

Author(s)

Michael A. Lewis, Ryan P. Taylor, Ray Radebaugh, Isaac Garaway, Peter E. Bradley

Abstract

A single stage pulse tube cryocooler was optimized to provide 50 W of net refrigeration power at 50 K when driven by a pressure oscillator that can produce up to 2.8 kW of acoustic power at 60 Hz. The cryocooler was designed with the ability to provide rapid cooldown. The rapid cooling technique makes use of a resonant phenomenon in the inertance tube and reservoir system to decrease the flow impedance and thereby increase the acoustic power and refrigeration power in the system when the cold end is near room temperature. Initial experimental data produced no-load temperatures of about 100 K and showed large azimuthal non-uniformities in temperature profiles around the center plane of both the regenerator and the pulse tube. Inadequate diffusion bonding in the initial aftercooler resulted in non-uniform temperatures in the aftercooler and regenerator warm end where temperatures were as high as 350 K. Jetting into the pulse tube through both the warm and cold heat exchangers also contributed to the poor performance. This paper discusses the performance after adding an improved aftercooler and pulse tube modifications. The steps taken to eliminate the non-uniformities and their effect on the cooler performance are discussed.
Proceedings Title
Investigation of flow Nonuniformities n a Large 50 K Pulse Tube Cryocooler
Conference Dates
June 28-July 2, 2009
Conference Location
Tucson, AZ
Conference Title
2009 Cryogenic Engineering Conference/International Cryogenic Materials Conference (CEC/ICMC)
Pub Type
Conferences

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DOI Link

Keywords

Active Denial System, Fast Cooldown, Superconducting Magnet
Thermodynamics

Citation

Lewis, M. , Taylor, R. , Radebaugh, R. , Garaway, I. and Bradley, P. (2009), Investigation of Flow Nonuniformities in a Large 50 K Pulse Tube Cryocooler, Investigation of flow Nonuniformities n a Large 50 K Pulse Tube Cryocooler, Tucson, AZ, [online], https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3422419 (Accessed April 10, 2025)

Issues

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Created June 28, 2009, Updated November 10, 2018