PULSE TUBE COOLER

PULSE TUBE COOLER

ABSTRACT

A miniature Thermoacoustic refrigerator is being developed to cool integrated circuits - which must sometimes operate at high temperatures nearing the upper threshold of their tolerance - to temperature spans more within the circuits tolerable limits, without the need of the chemicals of a traditional refrigerating system. The development of an electrically powered acoustic driver that powers the thermoacoustic refrigerator is described, as well as different schemes to improve its delivered acoustic power.
A pulse tube cooler is a device for cooling to low temperatures. It is a closed system that uses an oscillating pressure at one end (typically produced by a compressor) to generate an oscillating gas flow in the rest of the system. This gas flow (usually helium gas) can carry heat away from a low temperature point (cold heat exchanger) if the conditions are right. An orifice controlling the flow at the other end of the cooler can provide the right condition for cooling to occur.