A HIGH RELIABILITY OXYGEN/JTX CRYOGENIC REFRIGERATOR

USING TECHNOLOGY NOW IN EXISTENCE AND NOW BEING DEVELOPED IT IS POSSIBLE TO BUILD A HIGH RELIABILITY, CRYOGENIC OXYGEN REFRIGERATOR. THE TEMPERATURE RANGE IN WHICH THE REFRIGERATOR WOULD FUNCTION WOULD BE CONTROLLABLE BETWEEN 70 AND 140 KELVIN. THE BASIS FOR THIS REFRIGERATION CYCLE WOULD BE CERAMIC ELECTROLYTE TECHNOLOGY BY WHICH OXYGEN CAN BE COMPRESSED USING AN ELECTRIC POTENTIAL ACROSS THE CERAMIC. NO MOVING PARTS ARE REQUIRED IN THE COMPRESSOR WHICH LEADS TO THE RELIABILITY OF THE REFRIGERATOR. FOLLOWING THE COMPRESSION, THE REFRIGERATOR WOULD CONSIST OF HEAT EXCHANGERS AND A JOULE-THOMSON EXPANDER VALVE. THIS REFRIGERATION CYCLE ALSO HAS NO MOVING PARTS AND IS EXTREMELY RELIABLE. THE WHOLE SYSTEM WILL BE ALMOST AS RELIABLE AS THE ELECTRIC POWER SOURCE REQUIRED FOR ITS OPERATION. PHASE I OF THE EFFORT WILL INVESTIGATE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CERAMIC ELECTROLYTIC OXYGEN REFRIGERATOR, AND THE POWER REQUIREMENTS, ANY FAILURE MODES, AND THE COEFFICIENT OF PERFORMANCE FOR THE SYSTEM PARAMETRICALLY. PHASE II WILL DESIGN, PRODUCE, AND TEST AN EXPERIMENTAL REFRIGERATOR. PHASE III WOULD PRODUCE AN OPERATION CEOR FOR SENSOR COOLING.