Miniature PT Cryocooler Activated by Resonant Piezoelectric Compressor and Passive Warm Expander

A novel type of PZT-based compressor operating at mechanical resonance, suitable for pneumatically-driven Stirling-type cryocoolers, was presented at CEC-ICMC 2015. The detailed concept, analytical model and the test results on the preliminary prototype were reported earlier and presented at ICC17. Despite some mismatch between the impedances and insufficient structural stiffness, this compressor demonstrated the feasibility to drive our miniature Pulse Tube cryocooler MTSa, operating at 103 Hz and requiring an average PV power of 11 W, filling pressure of 40 Bar and a pressure ratio of 1.3. At ICC19 the prototype of a miniature passive warm expander (WE) was presented. The WE mechanism included a phase shifting piston suspended on a silicone diaphragm, a mass element, and a viscous damping system. Several technical drawbacks prevented perfect matching between the WE and MTSa; however, the presented prototype proved the ability to create any flow-to-pressure phase appropriate for a PT cryocooler. This paper concentrates on integration of the MTSa cryocooler with the recently modified PZT compressor operating at corrected mechanical resonance and the modified WE, which was also updated recently to match the MTSa requirements. (paper)