Numerical Investigation of Inertance Type Pulse Tube Cryocooler for Space Applications

Cooling of sensitive electronic equipment in military and space applications is very effective with the help of pulse tube cryocoolers. Out of the available pulse tube cryocoolers, the inline type Inertance Pulse Tube Cryocooler (IPTC) model is widely implemented. In the present work, the effect of pulse tube tapering is examined against the straight pulse tube model using numerical methods. Property variations for solids and fluid are considered for a 2D axis-symmetric model. A User-Defined Function (UDF) is developed to mimic the compressor action having an operating frequency of 30 Hz and pressure oscillation of 11–21 bar. Out of the 3 models considered inward tapering of the pulse tube is proved to reach a temperature of 45 K.