Pulse tube cryocooler
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A pulse tube cryocooler is a device which provides refrigeration to cryogenic temperatures. It is a closed system that uses an oscillating pressure at one end to generate an oscillating gas flow in the rest of the system. This gas flow can carry heat away from a low temperature point if the conditions are right. The prime advantage of pulse tube cryocoolers over Stirling cryocoolers is that they have no moving parts in the low temperature region.
Pulse tubes are a developing technology. They have been used extensively in industrial applications such as semiconductor fabrication and in military applications such as for the cooling of infrared sensors.[1] Pulse tubes are also being developed for use in the cooling of astronomical detectors where liquid cryogens are typically used, such as the Atacama Cosmology Telescope.[2] Pulse tubes will be particular useful in space-based telescopes where it is not possible to replenish the cryogens once they have been depleted. It has also been suggested that pulse tubes could be used to liquefy oxygen on Mars.[3] The ice cream manufacturer Ben and Jerry's has invested in pulse tube development and currently uses them to cool their product, as the technology provides an environmentally clean alternative to the chemicals used in conventional freezers.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Development of the Pulse Tube Refrigerator as an Efficient and Reliable Cryocooler (2000)
- ^ About ACT (official site)
- ^ Pulse Tube Oxygen Liquefier
- ^ Chilling at Ben & Jerry's : Cleaner, Greener
[edit] External links
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