A Universal Tactical Cryocooler Drive

SuperConducting Electronics (SCE) systems are becoming commonplace due to their substantial benefits in performance and cost when compared to traditional, semiconductor-based components. To achieve widespread adoption of SCE systems, low-cost and rugged cryocoolers and associated drives are needed. Creare is developing a universal Tactical Cryocooler Drive (TCD) to address this need. Our TCD provides dual, independent drives, which can be customized for each application with only software changes. During Phase I, we demonstrated feasibility with a comprehensive design study and prototype demonstration. We demonstrated a hardware topology that was able to simultaneously and independently drive dual cryocooler compressors with input power as high as 270 W and efficiencies as high as 96%. We demonstrated a 20 KHz Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) control strategy which results in minimal ripple currents. We established a design path which will enable power levels up to 1,500 W per channel. We demonstrated thermal control, where we were able to maintain temperature at 66 K in the presence of thermal loads as high as 2.5 W. During Phase II, we will produce a prototype with the form, fit, and function of the final product and demonstrate operation with a typical tactical cryocooler.