Project Title:

Low Cost, High Performance Cryogenic Heat Exchanger

94-1		08.09	3800	A		AMOUNT REQUESTED $

Low Cost, High Performance Cryogenic Heat Exchanger

Abstract:

Future science missions and telecommunication satellites will 
require cryogenic cooling of sensors and superconducting 
electronics. The turbomachinery-based reverse-Brayton cryocooler is 
an ideal candidate for this application because of its high 
reliability, long life, and negligible vibration. To operate within 
the power budget available in satellites, reverse-Brayton coolers 
need heat exchangers with effectiveness greater than 0.99. Present 
heat exchangers with greater than 0.99 effectiveness are quite 
heavy (50% of cryocooler weight) and very expensive to fabricate. 
We propose an innovative heat exchanger concept which has the 
potential to achieve effectiveness greater than 0.99 while at the 
same time reducing weight by a factor of 4 or more. The heat 
exchanger is fabricated entirely out of thin metal foil stampings 
which can be inexpensively produced by automated equipment. A novel 
core geometry promotes uniform flow distribution and results in a 
remarkable heat transfer performance. In Phase I we will 
demonstrate the feasibility of the heat exchanger by designing, 
fabricating, and testing a proof-of-concept prototype. In Phase II 
we would optimize the heat exchanger design and develop techniques 
and equipment for fabricating the heat exchanger at low cost.

The proposed heat exchanger will enable the development of low 
cost, highly efficient reverse-Brayton cryocoolers. The 
implementation of ultra-high speed communication networks, whether 
space or earth based, using superconducting electronics presently 
hinges on the availability of such a cryocooler. The greatly 
reduced size and energy input would make reverse-Brayton 
cryocoolers attractive for earthbound applications such as 
cryopumping, magnetic resonance imaging systems, and small scale 
superconducting energy storage, to name a few. Non-cryogenic 
applications of a low cost, high performance heat exchanger are 
also numerous. In particular, the proposed heat exchanger will 
enable major simplification and cost reduction in equipment as well 
as substantial gains in performance of solvent recovery systems.

KEY WORDS

Creare Incorporated
Etna Road, P.O. Box 71
Hanover, NH 03755