Low-cost, High Efficiency Regenerator for Cryocoolers

AN INNOVATIVE REGENERATOR USEABLE IN STIRLING, PULSE TUBE, GIFFORD-MCMAHON AND SIBLING CYCLE CRYOCOOLERS IS PROPOSED. IT WILL OFFER IMPROVED PERFORMANCE IN TERMS OF RELIABILITY, UNIFORMITY, COST AND EFFICIENCY. THE REGENERATOR WILL BE FABRICATED WITH AVAILABLE MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES USED IN AN ENTIRELY NEW WAY. THE MATERIAL IS STAINLESS STEEL FOIL. THE TECHNIQUE CREATES PRECISE PATTERNS OF CHANNELS ON ITS SURFACE AND PATTERNS OF SLOTS THAT PENETRATE THE WHOLE DEPTH OF THE FOIL. THE PROCESSED FOIL IS THEN WOUND IN JELLY-ROLL FASHION AND INSERTED INTO THE REGENERATOR HOUSING. WITH FLOW CHANNELS AND SLOTS PROPERLY SHAPED AND SPACED, REGENERATOR INEFFECTIVENESS IS EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN HALF OF THAT EXPERIENCED IN WOVEN SCREEN REGENERATORS. THE FLOW PASSAGES THROUGH THE PROPOSED REGENERATOR ARE UNIFORM, REDUCING DEGRADATION OF PERFORMANCE DUE TO CONTAMINATION. THE OBJECTIVE OF PHASE I IS TO DEVELOP THE COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL PATTERN OF CHANNELS AND SLOTS. THE COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS WILL BE CREATED BY MODIFYING AND COMBINING SEVERAL EXISTING COMPUTER MODELS TO ADDRESS THE SPECIFICS OF MOCRO-CHANNEL AND MICRO-SLOT GEOMETRY. THE FEASIBILITY OF FABRICATING REGENERATORS WITH THAT OPTIMAL PATTERN WILL ALSO BE DEMONSTRATED BY BUILDING TWO SAMPLE REGENERATORS.