NASA’s Advanced Cryocooler Technology Development Program (ACTDP)

Abstract

Over the years, NASA has developed a wide variety of new cryocooler technologies, as they represent a significant enabling capability for both Earth and space-science missions. Recent achievements include 50-80 ¶K Stirling, pulse ¶tube, and Brayton flight cryocoolers, and multistage development-model coolers at temperatures down to 10 ¶K. The largest technology push within NASA right now is in the temperature range of 4 to 6 ¶K. Missions such as the James Web Space Telescope, Terrestrial Planet Finder, and future generations of space telescopes, plan to use infrared detectors operating between 4 and 6 ¶K. Similarly, future x-ray and microwave missions plan to use microcalorimeters and bolometers operating at milli-Kelvin temperatures and will require 4-6 ¶K cooling to precool their sub-Kelvin refrigerators. To address cryocooler development for these next-generation missions, NASA initiated the Advanced Cryocooler Technology Development Program (ACTDP) in 2001. Since that time, the program has completed detailed designs and development-model hardware of three hybrid pulse tube and Stirling cryocooler concepts for cooling to 4-18 K. This paper presents an overview of the ACTDP program including programmatic objectives and timelines, and summarizes the excellent progress of the three design concepts being fabricated and tested at this time.

Experimental Demonstration of Cryogenic Cooler Disturbance Attenuation Using the Non-Linear Passive Isolation System

“…[1][2][3][4] The major advantage of cryocoolers in comparison with Stirling-type coolers is the omission of any moving part in the cold head, which results in a significantly increased mean time to failure (MTTF). Besides these advantages, a secondary benefit is the low vibration output, which is essential for highly sensitive detectors.…”

Performance evaluation of spaceborne cryocooler micro-vibration isolation system employing pseudoelastic SMA mesh washer

“…In space applications, spaceborne pulse-tube-type cryocoolers are widely used to cool down the focal plane of an infrared (IR) imaging sensor to low cryogenic temperatures, on account of their advantages of simplicity, low cost, and high reliability [2,3]. The major advantage of such cryocoolers in comparison with stirling-type coolers [4] is the absence of any moving part in the cold head, which results in a considerably longer mean time to failure (MTFF).…”

Influence of regenerator void volume on performance of a precooled 4 K Stirling type pulse tube cryocooler

“…These cryocoolers support the use of low-noise mid-long wave infrared sensors in future space science explorations or provide precooling for advanced detectors such as microcalorimeters and thermal radiometers operating at milli-Kelvin temperatures [1]. Stirling type Pulse tube cryocoolers (SPTC) are a type of regenerative cryocoolers driven by long-life linear compressors with no moving parts at the cold end.…”