Low-cost, mid-size reverse Brayton oxygen liquefier

Mesoscopic Devices proposes to develop a low-cost, highly compact and efficient mid-capacity reverse Brayton cycle cryocooler for liquefying oxygen and fuel on Mars. Suitable for cooling loads between 0.1 kW and 5 kW at 90K, this cryocooler will be a factor of five smaller and lighter than competing Stirling and pulse tube cryocoolers at this size scale. An innovative system configuration utilizes recent advantages in power electronics, bearings and high power density magnets to allow an order of magnitude reduction in cost for the cryocooler. A innovative recuperator design allows very high performance recuperators to be manufactured at low cost. In Phase I, we will demonstrate the feasibility of our approach through a combination of analysis, design, and proof-of-concept fabrication trials. In Phase II, we will build the cryocooler and demonstrate its advantages over alternate approaches.