Development of a practical pulse tube refrigerator: co-axial designs and the influence of viscosity

✍ Scribed by R.N. Richardson

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 432 KB
• Volume: 28
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0011-2275
• DOI: 10.1016/0011-2275(88)90163-4

✦ Synopsis

Pulse tube refrigeration offers the potential to develop an inherently reliable cryocooler. Unlike Stirling or Gifford-McMahon cryocoolers the pulse tube has no active components at low temperature. Refrigeration results from a process known as surface heat pumping involving the thermal interaction between a pulsating gas column and adjacent tube wall. The simple pulse tube configuration is not amenable to miniaturization and has a limited temperature per stage both of which compromise practicality. A compact co-axial design which may be readily miniaturized is described in detail and reference is made to a valved (or orifice) design which offers higher performance. Development of a viable co-axial pulse tube requires an understanding of the influence of viscosity on surface heat pumping. A qualitative explanation is provided. It is concluded that a truly practical pulse tube offering a working temperature of 70 K should be possible if the co-axial and valved designs are combined in a single device.