We have successfully developed and qualified a 5-Watt Stirling cryocooler that is suitable for commercial applications in the high temperature superconductor (HTS) wireless communication systems. The cooldown time to 77 K is less than 5 minutes (with 4 Watts heat load and a thermal mass of 1465 Joules). The cooler can provide a refrigeration capacity of ~5 Watt at 70 K. The qualification and test results of this cooler are discussed. FIGURE 1. A photograph of the B5000E Cooler.
CMC Electronics Cincinnati (CMC) is conducting a reliability growth program to extend the life of tactical Stirling-cycle cryocoolers. The continuous product improvement processes consist of testing production coolers to failure, determining the root cause, incorporating improvements and verification. The most recent life data for the 1/5-Watt Cooler (Model B512B) is presented with a discussion of leading root causes and potential improvements. The mean time to failure (MTTF) life of the coolers was found to be 22,552 hours with the root cause of failure attributed to the accumulation of methane and carbon dioxide in the cooler and the wear of the piston.
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