Airborne Liquid Cryogen Generation for DEW Thermal Management

Thermal management onboard military aircraft is a growing area of need. Advanced sensors and weapon systems often have large intermittent thermal loads which must be managed. In particular, Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) tend to be inherently inefficient with correspondingly high thermal loads that need to be managed. This Army topic calls for in-flight production of cryogen for thermal management of DEWs. The target application is to cool a 50 kW thermal load from a laser weapon using liquid cryogen. For airborne application the size, weight, and power of the cryogen production equipment are all a significant consideration. We propose to develop a lightweight turbo-Brayton cryocooler system for in flight liquid cryogen production. Our system features novel components that meet the topic requirements for cryogen production while minimizing the overall size, weight, and power of the system. Creare has significant experience developing cryocoolers for aircraft, spacecraft, military, and medical applications including cryogen generation onboard aircraft. In Phase I, we will perform our system level design using detailed analysis and evaluate lightweight cryogen storage options. In Phase II, we will prototype and demonstrate a full-scale system in a laboratory setting.