Cryogenic refrigerator and heat source
AssigneeCVI Incorporated
InventorDomenico S. Sarcia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The cryogenic refrigerator includes a movable displacer within an enclosure having first and second chambers of variable volume. A refrigerant fluid is circulated in a fluid path between said chambers and correlated with movement of the displacer. A spool valve controls introduction of high pressure fluid and low pressure fluid to said chambers. The displacer movement is controlled by an electric motor which has a cam for reciprocating the spool valve member. The refrigerator is converted into a source of heat by reversing the direction of rotation of said electric motor.
Claims12
In a cryogenic apparatus in which a movable displacer means defines within an enclosure first and second chambers of variable volume, and in which a refrigerant fluid is circulated in a fluid path between the first chamber and the second chamber by movement of the displacer means, chamber means for guiding a slide connected to the displacer means, a reversible motor connected to said slide for reciprocating said slide, a valve having a reciprocable valve member for controlling the flow of high and low pressure fluid, said motor being connected to a cam arranged to reciprocate said valve member in timed relation with reciprocation of said slide so that the valve member will introduce high pressure fluid into said first and second chambers when the displacer means is at each of the extremities of its movement so that the apparatus is either a refrigerator or heat pump.
In a cryogenic refrigerator in which a movable displacer means defines within an enclosure first and second chambers of variable volume, and in which a refrigerant is circulated in a fluid flow path between said first chamber and said second chamber in a manner correlated with movement of the displacer means, a slide connected to the displacer means, a valve for controlling flow of said fluid in said flow path, an electrical motor for controlling movement of said valve and being mechanically connected to said slide for controlling movement of said slide in timed relation with movement of said valve, means for causing the refrigerator to operate in a heating mode, said last-mentioned means including said motor being an electrical reversible motor for causing said valve to be operated 180.degree. out of phase as compared when it is operated in a refrigeration mode.
A method of converting a cryogenic refrigerator to a source of heat comprising:
- (a) generating a low temperature at a heat station of a refrigerator arranged for cooling an object,
- (b) step (a) including moving a displacer means and a valve member by an electric motor in a correlated manner, introducing high pressure gas into chambers of variable volume associated with said displacer means when the displacer means is at one extremity of its movement,
- (c) converting said refrigerator to a heat source for heating said object by reversing the direction of rotation of said motor and moving said valve member 180.degree. out of phase as compared when it operated in step (a).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.