CFD Simulation of a Small Stirling Cryocooler

Abstract

The application of cryocoolers has skyrocketed due to various necessities of modern day applications such as adequate refrigeration at specified temperature with low power input, long lifetime, high reliability and maintenance free operation with minimum vibration and noise, compactness and light weight. The demand of Stirling cryocoolers has increased due to the ineffectiveness of Rankine cooling systems at lower temperatures. With the rise in applications of Stirling cryocoolers, especially in the field of space and military, several simulations of Stirling cryocoolers were developed. These simulations provided an edge to the developers, as it could provide an accurate analysis of the performance of the cryocooler before actually manufacturing it. This saved a lot of time and money. In this project, an attempt has been made to develop a CFD simulation of a small Stirling cryocooler. A detailed analysis has been done of the simulation of the cryocooler in the results and discussion section. A comparison has also been made between the cooling curves in no load and a 0.5W load case. An attempt has also been made in determining the optimum frequency of operation of the proposed model of Stirling cryocooler by comparing the minimum cool down temperature attained by them.