THERMAL CONTROL FOR UNMANNED SPACE APPLICATIONS

STIRLING TECHNOLOGY COMPANY (STC) WILL DEVELOP AND TEST THE TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION MODEL (TDM) MODEL OF A LONG LIFE VIRTUALLY VIBRATIONLESS CRYOFLEX STIRLING CRYOCOOLER FOR COOLING SENSORS TO THE 65 TO 80 K TEMPERATURERANGE. FLEXURAL BEARING AND GAS CLEARANCE SEAL TECHNOLOGIESPROVIDE THE POTENTIAL FOR 10- TO 15-YEAR LIFE. STC HAS LONGSTANDING EXPERIENCE AND CURRENT RESEARCH INTERESTS AND ACTIVITY IN FLEXURAL BEARINGS WHICH WILL PROVIDE THE POTENTIAL FOR 10- TO 15-YEAR LIFE. VIBRATION WILL BE REDUCED TO TRACE LEVELS BY COUNTEROSCILLATING COMPONENTS, COMPLETE SYMMETRY, AND MATCHING OF THE MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTHS, AND MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL IMPEDANCES OF THE OPPOSED COMPONENTS. RESEARCH WILL ALSO BE CONDUCTED ON THE VIBRATION EFFECTS OF CRITICAL PARAMETERS AND THE EFFECTS OF DRIVE CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS TO MINIMIZE AND TRIM OUT RESIDUAL VIBRATION. THE DESIGN WILL INCORPORATE THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH. HIGH COP WILL BE MADE POSSIBLE BY OPTIMIZATION WITH THE GLIMPS THERMODYNAMICS CODE, USE OF FLEXURES FOR HIGH MECHANICAL EFFICIENCY, DESIGN OF THE LINEAR ELECTRIC MOTORS FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY, AND SELECTION OF THE DRIVE CIRCUITRY FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY. THE PHASE I OBJECTIVE IS COMPLETION OF THE TDM CONCEPTUAL DESIGN. THIS INCLUDES COMPONENT SIZING AND BASIC CONFIGURATION, ESTABLISHING THE PHYSICAL PARAMETERS AND ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS TO ACHIEVE LOW VIBRATION, PREPARATION OF A CONCEPTUAL LAYOUT, A SUMMARY OF THE EXPECTED PERFORMANCE, AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING. PHASE 2 OBJECTIVES INCLUDE DESIGN, FABRICATION AND ASSEMBLY, TESTING AND EVALUATION, MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING, AND DELIVERY OF ONE TDM TO NASA FOR BENCH TESTING.