Refrigeration Cycle for Thermal Management Applications

Recent developments in orifice pulse tube refrigerator (OPTR) technology have made these devices competitive with Stirling cycle cryocoolers for long-life spacecraft service, but further improvements in efficiency, capacity, miniaturization, and reliability are required. We propose an innovative and simplified thermodynamic cycle, based upon the enthalpy flux heat-lifting principle of the OPTR, with potential benefits in reliability weight, and manufacturing cost. The Phase I project objective is to prove the principle of operation in breadboard hardware and to empirically define sensitivity of performance to design parameters. The Phase I effort includes breadboard apparatus construction, testing, data analysis, and documentation. Anticipated benefits include substantial reductions in cost for highly reliable mechanical refrigerators and heat pumps for extended mission spacecraft applications. The innovation has broad potential commercial application for compact and light-weight, low-cost cryogenic cooling of HTS components in telecommunications systems, high-density electronic systems, and medical instrumentation.