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Issue No:4, Vol.3 |
April - 2010 |
ISSN: 0974-5645 |
| RESEARCH ARTICLES |
Viewers & PDF |
| 14. Design, optimisation and performance analysis of orifice pulse tube cryogenic refrigerators. B. Jayaraman and P. Senthil Kumar (2010) Indian J.Sci.Technol. Vol. 3, Issue 4, pp: 425-436. Domain site: http://www.indjst.org |
 
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- Abstract
Pulse Tube Refrigerator (PTR), a regenerative cryocooler is used in cryogenic cooling applications. Thermodynamic
and numerical models help in estimating the operation parameters, analysing and thereby predicting the performance
of a PTR. A one dimensional simulation model for analytical studies, design and optimization of the regenerator
geometry for improving the performance of the PTR is developed. The simulation program is based on the equations
obtained from applying the ideal gas laws, energy and mass balances in the Orifice PTR (OPTR). Predictions by the
simulation program of the thermodynamic performance are compared with published experimental results (Kral et al,
1992) to validate the program. At 274 K, the refrigerating effect predicted by the program is 12.689 W, whereas the
experimental value is 11.57 W, a difference of around 9%. Conflicting requirements for regeneration are satisfied by
selecting appropriate material and size of wire screen mesh type regenerator. Based on empirical understanding
hybrid regenerators have been used instead of single mesh, showing improved performances. A mathematical model
simulating the regenerator is developed and solved numerically. Unconstrained optimisation technique with univariate
search method is adopted to design optimal hybrid regenerators and is integrated with the simulation program. Using a
hybrid regenerator, instead of single mesh regenerator used in Kral’s experiments, the regenerator effectiveness
increases by 0.16% and pressure drop decreases by 29.2% when compared to single mesh regenerators. Hybrid
regenerators improve the refrigeration capacity of the OPTR system by as much as 40%. The validated simulation
program can be used for the design and development of high performance OPTR.
- Key words: Cryocooler; orifice pulse tube refrigerator; regenerator; simulation; refrigeration.
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