Small Vuilleumier Cryocooler : Comparison of Performance Test Results and Calculation

Abstract

The great feature of the Vuilleumier cryocooler is that little work is required to operate displacers, i.e., pressure drop generated in the working space and mechanical losses at seals and bearings are quite small. A small Vuilleumier cryocooler was fabricated to study its cold production, and it was tsested over 2500 hours in an atmospheric environment. The cooling performance was mapped not only at the design point, but also at off-design points. The charge pressure, hot wall temperature and cycle speed were selected as major operating parameters. The results of the machine showed that the nominal cooling capacity was 1.75 watts under the input power of 154 watts, and that 2.3 watts was the maximum cooling capacity. This paper describes the comparison between the experimental resluts and calculation which depended on the thermodynamic characteristics for obtaining of a simple model.