Pulse tube refrigerator
OwnerMatthew P. Mitchellinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pulse tube refrigerator is equipped with a constant-diameter inertance tube (41) or a stepped or tapered intertance tube (48) which is coiled in a reservoir (20) to protect it from damage from external impacts and from structural failure due to differences between external and internal pressures. A tapered inertance tube (48) improves thermodynamic performance of the pulse tube refrigerator by improving heat transfer at the warm end of pulse tube (10).
Claims17
In a pulse tube refrigerator equipped with a reservoir and an inertance tube, said inertance tube having first and second ends, said first end of said inertance tube communicating with the warm end of the pulse tube of said pulse tube refrigerator and said second end of said inertance tube communicating with said reservoir, an improvement comprising a bore of varying cross section in said inertance tube wherein the internal diameter of said bore is greater at said first end of said inertance tube than the internal diameter of said bore at said second end of said inertance tube.
In a pulse tube refrigerator equipped with a reservoir, an improvement comprising a coiled inertance tube enclosed within said reservoir, said inertance tube having first and second ends, said first end of said inertance tube communicating with the warm end of the pulse tube of said pulse tube refrigerator and said second end of said inertance tube being open to the interior of said reservoir.
In a pulse tube refrigerator equipped with a reservoir, an improvement comprising an inertance tube enclosed within said reservoir, said inertance tube having first and second ends, said first end of said inertance tube communicating with the warm end of the pulse tube of said pulse tube refrigerator and said second end of said inertance tube being open to the interior of said reservoir, said second end of said inertance tube terminating in a bell mouth.
In a pulse tube refrigerator equipped with a reservoir, an improvement comprising an inertance tube enclosed within said reservoir, said inertance tube having first and second ends, said first end of said inertance tube communicating with the warm end of the pulse tube of said pulse tube refrigerator and said second end of said inertance tube being open to the interior of said reservoir wherein a portion of the surface of said inertance tube is held in thermal contact with the interior wall of said reservoir by bonding means selected from the group consisting of welding, brazing, soldering and gluing.
In a pulse tube refrigerator equipped with a reservoir, an improvement comprising an inertance tube enclosed within said reservoir, said inertance tube having first and second ends, said first end of said inertance tube communicating with the warm end of the pulse tube of said pulse tube refrigerator and said second end of said inertance tube being open to the interior of said reservoir wherein said inertance tube terminates in a bell mouth and wherein said inertance tube is held in thermal contact with the interior wall of said reservoir by bonding means selected from the group consisting of welding, brazing, soldering and gluing.
In a pulse tube refrigerator equipped with a reservoir, an improvement comprising an inertance tube enclosed within said reservoir, said inertance tube having first and second ends, said first end of said inertance tube communicating with the warm end of the pulse tube of said pulse tube refrigerator and said second end of said inertance tube being open to the interior of said reservoir wherein the wall of said inertance tube is too thin to safely contain a pressure equal to the maximum absolute pressure in the pulse tube of said pulse tube refrigerator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.