Improved Cooling Power by Means of a Regenerator Made from Lead Wire Mesh.

The regenerator has had a significant influence on the development of refrigerators for cryogenic application. It is a key component in every cryocooler because it efficiently cools and heats up the gas as it flows between the compressor and the expansion space and vice versa. An essential parameter in the regenerator design is the heat capacity ratio. In addition, the pressure drop across the regenerator must be minimized to achieve maximum p-V work in the expansion space. This paper describes the design and the manufacturing process of a regenerator partially filled with lead screens in order to decrease the pressure drop compared to a regenerator filled with lead spheres. Furthermore they offer a high heat capacity ratio. Our four valve pulse tube refrigerator (FVPTR) was equipped with such a regenerator. The performance of this cooler is presented in this paper. This presentation includes experimental loss analysis as well. At present the cooler provides a cooling power of 120 W at 74 K and 40 W at 34 K. The minimum no-load temperature achieved is 17 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]