Design of an improved high cooling power 4 K GM cryocooler and helium compressor

High cooling power 4 K cryocoolers are in high demand given their broad applications in such fields as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and low temperature superconductors. ARS has recently designed and developed a high cooling power 4 K pneumatic-drive GM cryocooler which achieves a typical cooling power of 1.75 W/4.2 K. Steady input power of our newly developed helium compressor supplied to the cold head is 11.8 kW at 60 Hz. The operational speed of the cold head is 30 RPM. The effects of geometries and operational conditions on the cooling performance of this 4 K GM cryocooler are also experimentally tested. (paper)