Theoretical and Experimental Studies on Pulse Tube Refrigerator

Abstract

The absence of moving components at low temperature end gives the pulse tube refrigerator (PTR) a great leverage over other cryo-coolers like Stirling and GM refrigerators that are conventionally in use for several decades. PTR has greater reliability; no electric motors to cause electromagnetic interference, no sources of mechanical vibration in the cold head and no clearance seal between piston and cylinder. Moreover, it is a relatively low cost device with a simple yet compact design.
The objectives of the present work are to 1) understand the basic phenomena responsible for the production of cold effect with the help of simple theoretical models based on ideal behavior of gases and to 2) test a single stage GM type pulse tube refrigerator present in the cryogenics lab of Mechanical Engineering Department of NIT Rourkela. Experimental studies consist of cooling behavior of the refrigeration system and suggesting modifications to improve the performance of the PTR.