Lockheed Martin Corporation

University of California

Jeffrey R Olson

Gregory W Swift

Patrick Champagne

Alyssa Ruiz

A compressor assembly for use with a Pulse Tube cryocooler is disclosed. The compressor assembly includes a central hub having a plurality of faces, and at least four compressor modules mounted on the central hub. Each of the compressor modules is mounted on a face of the plurality of faces. Each compressor module comprises a piston mounted in the central hub and configured to reciprocate along an axis of travel within the central hub. The pistons are mounted head-to-head with each other and collective reciprocation of the pistons along the respective axes minimizes vibration forces of the compressor assembly in X, Y, and Z translational axes of motion.

Low disturbance cryocooler compressor

A heat exchanger for use with a refrigeration device having a FPA disposed therein being comprised of a polymeric composite mesh material having a hot end and a cold end and defining an array of weft capillaries interwoven with a perpendicular array of warp strands. The array of weft capillaries may include a plurality of high pressure inlet capillaries for channeling and distributing high pressure gas from an inlet at the hot end to a Joule-Thomson orifice at the cold end, a plurality of low pressure outlet capillaries for channeling and distributing high pressure gas from a Joule-Thomson orifice to an outlet of the heat exchanger, and a plurality of low thermal conductivity fibers interspersed between the high pressure inlet capillaries and the low pressure outlet capillaries. In example embodiments. the array of warp strands comprises at least one or more of carbon fibers, copper fibers or glass fibers.

System, apparatus, and method for micro-capillary heat exchanger

The performance of a multi-stage inertance pulse tube cryocooler in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may be enhanced by cooling the inertance tube of one stage placing it in thermal communication with the cool heat exchanger of a preceding stage. Cooling at least one inertance tube of a multi-stage cooler in this invention lowers the viscosity and sound speed of the gas in the inertance tube, thereby improving the cooling power for that subsequent cooling stage, and for the entire device.

Cold inertance tube for multi-stage pulse tube cryocooler

A pulse tube cryocooler ( ) is disclosed having a second cryocooler section ( ) with a single pulse tube stage ( ), and having a first cryocooler section ( ) with a pair of pulse tube stages ( ). A first pressure oscillator ( ) is associated with the first cryocooler section ( ), while a second pressure oscillator ( ) is associated with the second cryocooler section ( ). The first cryocooler section ( ) and the second cryocooler section ( ) are fluidly isolated from each other. Therefore, the charge pressure, the pressure amplitude, oscillation frequency, and working gas in each of the first cryocooler section ( ) and the second cryocooler section ( ) may be independently selected/established.

Cryocooler with multiple charge pressure and multiple pressure oscillation amplitude capabilities

Thermal insulation of the pulse tube in a pulse-tube refrigerator is maintained by optimally varying the radius of the pulse tube to suppress convective heat loss from mass flux streaming in the pulse tube. A simple cone with an optimum taper angle will often provide sufficient improvement. Alternatively, the pulse tube radius r as a function of axial position x can be shaped with r(x) such that streaming is optimally suppressed at each x.

Growing community of inventors

San Mateo, CA, United States of America

Jeffrey R Olson