Contents

1.

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1

Application Of Cryocooler: ...............................................................................................................5

1.2

Pulse Tube Refrigerators: ..................................................................................................................7

1.3

Components Of Pulse Tube Refrigerator:................................................................................... 12

1.4

Applications And Advantages Of Pulse Tube Cryocooler....................................................... 13

2.

Literature Review .......................................................................................................................... 15

3.

Aim Of The Present Work ............................................................................................................ 17

4.

Thermodynamic Study Of Single Orifice Pulse Tube Cryocooler ............................................ 18

5.

Generated Code In SCILAB And Results. .................................................................................. 22

5.1 Generated Code For Thermodynamic Study Of Single Orifice Pulse Tube Cryocooler In
Scilab .............................................................22

6.

Phasor Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 29

7.

Conclusion....................................................................................................................................... 34

8.

References ....................................................................................................................................... 35

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List of figures
Figure 1Classification of cryocoolers........................................................................................................ 4
Figure 2 Classification of pulse tube refrigerators .................................................................................... 8
Figure 3(a) (b) Stirling type & G-M type refrigerators ............................................................................. 8
Figure 4 Schematic diagram of basic pulse tube refrigerator (BPTR) ...................................................... 9
Figure 5 Schematic diagram of orifice pulse tube refrigerator (OPTR). ................................................. 10
Figure 6 Schematic diagram of Stirling type double inlet pulse tube refrigerator. ................................. 11
Figure 7 Schematic diagram of G-M type double inlet pulse tube refrigerator. ..................................... 11
Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the inertance tube pulse tube refrigerator. ............................................ 12
Figure 9 orifice Pulse Tube Refrigerator (OPTR) with the Working fluid assumed to be Helium gas .. 18
Figure 10 Code generated in SCILAB for Thermodynamic analysis ..................................................... 22
Figure 11 Result obtained from thermodynamics energies ..................................................................... 23
Figure 12 Pressure Variation within The Pulse Tube (Pt), The Compressor (Pc) .................................. 26
Figure 13 Mass Flow Rates Through The Regenerator (Mreg) And Pressure (P).................................... 26
Figure 14 the mass flow rate through hot heat exchanger (mhhx) and pressure (P). ................................ 27
Figure 15 Mass Flow Rate through Pulse Tube (Mpt) And Pressure (P)................................................. 27
Figure 16 Mass Flow Rate Through Cold Heat Exchanger (Mchx) And Pressure (P) ............................. 28
Figure 17 Mass Flow Rate through Cold Heat Exchanger (Mchx) And Mass Flow Rate through Hot Heat
Exchanger (Mhhx) ..................................................................................................................................... 28
Figure 18 Phasor diagram........................................................................................................................ 30
Figure 19 Code For phasor diagram in SCILAB .................................................................................... 31
Figure 20 Results obtained through CODE ............................................................................................. 32

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List of tables
Table 1 Design Data for Adiabatic Model .............................................................................................. 24
Table 2 Operating condition for Adiabatic Model .................................................................................. 24
Table 3 Fluid properties for Adiabatic Model ......................................................................................... 25
Table 4 Comparison of results obtained from both the codes ................................................................. 33
Table 5 Phase angle of various parameters with pressure vector ............................................................ 33

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1.

Introduction

Cryogenics is the science and technology associated with the phenomena that occur at very low
temperature, close to the lowest theoretically attainable temperature. In engineering, cryogenics can be
best described as an application which operates in the temperature range from absolute zero to about
123K(-150C). In particular, this includes refrigeration, liquefaction, storage and transport of cryogenic
fluids, cryostat design and the study of phenomena that occur at these temperatures.
Device which is used to produce cryogenics low temperature is called as cryocoolers. The term
cryocooler has generally been used for refrigerator of small and intermediate size, which is capable to
obtain and maintain temperature below 123K.Cryocoolers, invented in early 1960, and are mainly
classified in to two groups.
1. Recuperative
2. Regenerative

Figure 1Classification of cryocoolers

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I. Recuperative Cryocooler:
The flow of the working fluid in this type of cryocooler is unique and hence they are analogous
to direct current electrical systems. The compressor and expander have separate inlet and outlet valves
for maintaining the flow direction. In rotary motion of components theres a maximum chance for back
flow because of which valves are necessary when the system has any rotary or turbine component. The
efficiency of the cryocooler depends a lot on the working fluid because it forms an important part of the
cycle. The main advantage of recuperative cryocooler is that, that they can be scaled to any size for
specific output. Joule Thomson cryocooler and Brayton cryocooler are few of the examples of
recuperative type cryocooler.

II. Regenerative Cryocooler:

The flow of working fluid in this type of cryocooler is oscillatory and hence have an analogy to
alternative current electrical system. The working fluid inside this type of cryocooler oscillates in cycles
and while passing through the regenerator exchanges heat with the wire mesh present within the
regenerator. The regenerator takes up the heat from the working fluid in one half on the cycle and returns
the same in the other half. The wire mesh used in regenerator are very efficient because of their very high
heat capacity and low heat transfer losses, but these cryocoolers cannot be scaled up to large sizes. The
phase relation between mass flow and pressure variation is responsible for the cooling effect produced.
The oscillating pressure can be produced with or without the help of valves as in Stirling and Pulse type
cryocooler, and Gifford McMahon type cryocooler respectively.

1.1 Application of Cryocooler:

The major applications of cryocoolers are summarized below [1].

Military
(i) Infrared sensors for night vision & missile guidance
(ii) Infrared sensors for satellite based surveillance
(iii) Gamma-ray sensors for monitoring nuclear activity
(iv)Superconducting magnets used in mine sweeping

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Environmental
(i) Infrared sensors used in satellites for atmospheric studies
(ii) Pollution monitoring infrared sensors

Commercial
(i) Cryopumps for semiconductor fabrication
(ii) Cellular-phone base stations using superconductors
(iii) Superconductors used in voltage standards
(iv) Superconductors used in high-speed communications

Medical
(i) Cooling of superconducting magnets used in MRI
(ii) SQUID magnetometers for heart and brain studies
(iii) Liquefaction of oxygen
(iv)Cryogenic cryosurgery and catheters

Transportation
(i) LNG for fleet vehicles
(ii) Superconducting magnets used in maglev trains
(iii) Infrared sensors used in aircrafts night vision

Energy
(i) LNG for peak shaving
(ii) Superconducting power applications like motors, transformers etc.
(iii) Thermal loss measurements infrared sensors

Police and Security

(i) Infrared sensors used in night-security and rescue

Agriculture
(i) Storage of biological cells and specimens

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Because of the various special application of the cryocooler as mentioned above, the demands for
high performance reliability, low vibration, efficiency, long life time, small size and weight have become
an important aspect for the improvement of the cryocoolers. The regenerative cryocoolers have higher
efficiency than that of recuperative cryocoolers due to smaller heat transfer loss, both Stirling cryocoolers
and Gifford-McMahon (G-M) cryocoolers have an expansion devices (i.e., moving parts) at their cold
ends. The moving parts in the cold end are needed in order to adjust the phase angle and to recover the
energy flow, which result in the decrease in reliability of the system and shorten the life times of the
cryocoolers. The absence of such moving parts in the pulse tube refrigerator/cryocooler at their cold end
and thus have an advantages over other cryocoolers due to its simplicity and is hence more reliable in
operation.

1.2 Pulse Tube Refrigerators:

Working Principle:
The pulse tube refrigerators (PTR) are capable of cooling to temperature below 123K.Unlike the
ordinary refrigeration cycles which utilize the vapor compression cycle as described in classical
thermodynamics, a PTR implements the theory of oscillatory compression and expansion of the gas
within a closed volume to achieve desired refrigeration. Being oscillatory, a PTR is a non-steady system
that requires time dependent solution. However like many other periodic systems, PTRs attain quasisteady periodic state (steady-periodic mode). In a periodic steady state system, property of the system at
any point in a cycle will reach the same state in the next cycle and so on. A Pulse tube refrigerator is a
closed system that uses an oscillating pressure (usually produced by an oscillating piston) at one end to
generate an oscillating gas flow in the rest of the system. The gas flow can carry heat away from a low
temperature point (cold heat exchanger) to the hot end heat exchanger if the power factor for the phasor
quantities is favorable. The amount of heat they can remove is limited by their size and power Used to
drive them.

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Classification:
The following flow chart describes the various types of Pulse Tube Refrigerator.

Figure 2 Classification of pulse tube refrigerators

Types of Pulse Tube Refrigerators:

Pulse tube refrigeration systems can be classified as either a Stirling type or a GM type according
to the method of pressurization and expansion as shown in Fig. 3 (a) and (b). For a Stirling type pulse
tube shown in Fig.3 (a) a piston cylinder apparatus is directly coupled to the hot end of the regenerator
so that the pressure fluctuations are directly generated by the piston movement.

Figure 3(a) (b) Stirling type & G-M type refrigerators

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In Stirling type PTR, the frequency of the compressor is the same as that of the pulse tube. The
heat of compression by the compressor must be removed to the environment by a heat exchanger between
the compressor and the regenerator, commonly known as after cooler or precooler. These aspects are the
same in Stirling type and G-M type refrigerators. These are used for PTRs in the higher temperature
ranges of about 50K.The typical operating frequency of Stirling type PTR is 10-120Hz, which is higher
than that of a GM type pulse tube as shown in Figure 3 (b).
Because of this high operating frequency and the absence of valve losses, Stirling type pulse tube
systems generally produce higher cooling powers than GM type pulse tube. However the rapid flow
oscillation of fluid heat exchange required in Stirling type pulse tube refrigerators limits their
performance at low temperatures, such as at 10K and below. In this range, the longer time allowed for
thermal diffusion by the slower frequency GM type pulse tube refrigerators provides a higher efficiency
option. The G-M type pulse tube refrigerator distributes high/lowpressure gas into the pulse tube and
other components by use of a valve system. Generally a rotary valve or solenoid valve is used in G-M
type cryocooler. The periodic opening/closing operation of the high/low pressure valves produces a
pressure pulsation in the system. Because of the limitations associated with the valve operation a typical
G-M type pulse tube operates at frequencies of a few hertz (1-5Hz).
The valve system separating the compressor and the pulse tube system provides the possibility of
eliminating vibration problems caused by the compressor and permits remote location of the compressor
from the cold head. Figure 4 shows the main components of Stirling type BPTR. It is composed of six
components: compressor, after cooler, regenerator, cold heat exchanger, pulse tube and warm heat
exchanger. In a BPTR, the oscillatory pressure waves impose a shuttling effect to the working fluid in

the
Figure 4 Schematic diagram of basic pulse tube refrigerator (BPTR)

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Pulse tube. The shuttling effect creates an energy interaction between the pulse tube wall and the working
fluid. This is known as surface heat pumping process [2]. Thus, the BPTR achieves refrigeration through
the surface heat pumping process between the working fluid and the pulse tube walls. BPTRs have
relatively low coefficients of performance and can typically reach a cold end temperature of the order of
124K.
The second type of the PTR is the Orifice Pulse Tube Refrigerator (OPTR), shown in Figure 5.
OPTRs are significantly better than BPTRs, and are among most widely refrigerator until the mid-1990s
in Striling type PTR [3]. The schematic configuration of an OPTR can be viewed as a modification of
the BPTR. This modification is made by including an orifice valve and a surge volume at the warm end
of the BPTR, as depicted in Figure 4. Additional components create an advantage of in-phase relationship
between the mass flow and the pressure within the pulse tube to enhance the heat transport mechanism.
But the mass flow through the regenerator is increases leading to degradation of regenerator performance.
This Drawback is removed by adding a second orifice i.e. double inlet PTR.

Figure 5 Schematic diagram of orifice pulse tube refrigerator (OPTR).

In the double-inlet pulse tube refrigerator (DIPTR) [4] the hot end of the pulse tube is connected
with the entrance (hot end) of the regenerator by an orifice adjusted to an optimal value shown in Figure
6 and 7 for Stirling type and GM type DIPTR respectively. The double inlet is a bypass for the regenerator
and hence reduces the cooling power. In addition, the valve is a dissipative device, which leads to a
deterioration of the performance. However, both these disadvantages are overcome by the fact that the
double inlet reduces the dissipation in the regenerator. As a result, the performance of the overall system
is improved significantly.

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Figure 6 Schematic diagram of Stirling type double inlet pulse tube refrigerator.

Figure 7 Schematic diagram of G-M type double inlet pulse tube refrigerator.

The fourth and the most recently invented PTR is the inertance tube pulse tube refrigerator shown
in Figure 8. In this type of PTR the orifice valve is replaced by a long inertance tube having very small
internal diameter and adds reactive impedance to the system. The implementation of this inductance
generates an advantageous phase shift in pulse tube and produces an improved enthalpy flow. Studies
show that use of the inertance tube is significantly beneficial for large-scale pulse tubes operating at
higher frequencies.

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Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the inertance tube pulse tube refrigerator.

1.3

Components of Pulse Tube Refrigerator:

Compressor
The main function of the compressor is to supply gas pressurization and depressurization in the closed
chamber. Electrical power is applied to the compressor where this electrical work is converted into the
mechanical energy associated with sinusoidal pressure waves, resulting in gas motion. In an ideal
compressor, the electrical power provided to the compressor must be equal to f PdV, where the
integration is performed over an entire Cycle, P is the compressor pressure, and f is the compressor
frequency. In an actual system, however, the above-mentioned power (the PdV power) is always less
than the actual measured electrical power due to the associated irreversibilities. Usually reciprocating
nature of compressor is used in case of Stirling model; it may also be a dual opposed piston type.
After cooler
The function of the ideal after cooler is to extract all the heat that is generated in the compressor volume
during the gas compression and dispose to environment. This minimizes the warm end temperature so
that the regenerator can work more efficiently and supply low temperature working fluid to the system.
Typically, these types of heat exchangers are assembled using copper wire mesh screens that are
directly in contact with the housing wall.
Regenerator
The regenerator is the most important component in pulse tube refrigerator. Its function is to absorb the
heat from the incoming gas during the forward stroke, and deliver that heat back to the gas during the
return stroke. Ideally, PTC regenerators with no pressure drop and a heat exchanger effectiveness of
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100% are desired, in order to achieve the maximum enthalpy flow in the pulse tube. The performances
of the real regenerators are of course far from ideal. Stainless steel wire screens are usually selected as
the regenerator packing material, since they offer higher heat transfer areas, low pressure drop, high
heat capacity, and low thermal conductivity.
Cold Heat Exchanger (CHX)
CHX can be best viewed as the equivalent of the evaporator in the vapor compression refrigeration
cycle. This is where the refrigeration load is absorbed by the system. This is the junction of the
regenerator and pulse tube. Copper wire mesh screens are used to exchange heat with the housing wall,
and thereby receive the applied heat load.
Pulse Tube
The pulse tube is the most critical component of the whole refrigerating system. The main objective of
the pulse tube is to carry the heat from the cold end to the warm end by an enthalpy flow. By imposing
a correct phase difference between pressure and mass flow in the pulse tube by phase shifting
mechanisms, heat load is carried away from the CHX to the WHX. Physically, the pulse tube is simply
a hollow cylindrical tube made up of stainless steel with an optimum thickness to enhance the surface
heat pumping.
Hot Heat Exchanger (HHX)
Hot end exchanger is where the gas rejects heat of compression in every periodic cycle of operation.
Upon receiving the enthalpy flow from the pulse tube, the heat load at a higher temperature is rejected
to the environment. Usually, air cooling or water cooling system is used to take away the heat from the
hot end exchanger.

1.4 Applications and advantages of Pulse Tube Cryocooler

Pulse tube cryocoolers are compact and light weight making them a mouthwatering prospect in the
space applications

There are no moving parts on the cold side of the cryocooler which make them vibration less in the
colder end and hence lesser wear and tear which would help in smoother functioning of the
cryocooler.

They are used for the cooling of infrared sensors in the defense sector.

They are of utmost importance in the cooling of superconducting magnets in MRI which is important
in the medical industry
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Design parameters for OPTR

The design data is a very important parameter in studying about the pulse tube cryocooler,
different lengths of pulse tubes, regenerators and materials would result in different working
efficiencies of pulse tube Cryocoolers and hence it needs to be taken care of.
For better performance of an OPTR it has been observed practically that for better performance of an
OPTR:

Reducing dead volumes of OPTR as much as possible in connecting tubes, cold end and hot end
spaces and compression chamber in order to reduce thermodynamic losses.

Using a high efficiency regenerator to reduce heat loss.

Designing an adequate flow straightening device at both ends of pulse tube to reduce turbulence
loss in pulse tube

Good machining of pulse tube and using thin walled pulse tube to reduce fluid frictional losses.

Carefully designing dimensions of pulse tube to match with compressor and regenerator for given
pressure and cold end temperature

Parameters dependence on performance of OPTR:

For fixed volume of pulse tube, performance of OPTR increases with increasing diameter of pulse
tube.
Small pulse tube causes flow to easily become turbulent and reduce heat pumping effect due to
gas dispersion and back mixing

Performance of OPTR increases with decreasing length and volume of pulse tube. However
optimum frequency increases with decreasing pulse tube volume

For fixed pulse tube length optimum frequency decreases with increasing diameter and volume

Optimum operating frequency decreases monotonically with increasing pulse tube volume

Pressure flow phase angle is hence a key design parameter for optimizing a pulse tube cryocooler.
High efficiency cryocooler requires an optimal phase angle that minimizes viscous dissipation
losses in the regenerator and maximizes the acoustic power flow in the pulse tube. This will result
in greater cooling capacity for a given amount of acoustic power given to the compressor. The
value of this phase angle is basically driven by valve flow area and reservoir volume for fixed
fluid flow rate.

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2. Literature Review
In 1963 Gifford and Longsworth [5] discovered the Basic Pulse Tube Refrigeration technique
where a very simple effect i.e. oscillation of working gas (pressurization and depressurization) makes it
possible to construct very low temperature refrigerators without the use of low temperature moving parts
or the Joule-Thomson effect. The design was put forward using a hollow tube with one end closed and
the other open with the closed end responsible for heat exchange at ambient temperature and the open
end serving as the cold end. A thermodynamic model of BPTR was put forward by de Boer [6] with
various improvements by taking into account the gas motion during the cooling and heating steps that
result in more accurate temperature profiles.

The first improvisation to the basic pulse tube refrigerator was made in 1984 by Mikulin et al. [7]
where they installed an orifice and reservoir at the top of the pulse tube to allow some gas to pass into
and out of a large reservoir volume. This configuration of the pulse tube refrigerator was given the name
as the Orifice Pulse Tube Refrigerator. An analytical model for OPTR was put forward by Starch and
Radebaugh [8] who made a simple expression for the gross refrigeration power, which agrees with
experiments

In the later works, the mass flow rates were made analogous to AC current flow. This concept led
to phasor representation of the mass flow rates and the pressure wave. L.Mohanta and M.D. Atrey in
2011 [9] came forward with one such phasor diagram representing the various mass flow rates. This
phasor representation of the mass flow rate became a prominent way of analyzing the phase difference
between the mass flow rates and the pressure variation.

Hoffman and Pan [10] studied the phase shifting in Pulse Tube Refrigerator and worked on the
Phasor representation of the mass flow rates and pressure oscillation. They studied the phase Relation for
different configuration of the pulse tube refrigerators and experimentally concluded the optimum phase
relation for the same.

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These phasor represented each mass flow rates as a vector quantity and just plotted the Governing
equations. There were no concrete relation as to how the exact phase difference can be obtained. They
merely served as a method to cross verify the experimental/analytical works.

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3. Aim of the Present work

After going through the various literature, we decided to work on the following topics related to
Orifice Pulse Refrigerator (OPTR):

1. To study the thermodynamic phenomenon occurring within the OPTR and derive the equations
for various mass flow rates and the pressure variation.
2. To develop a SCILAB code from the governing thermodynamic equations, so as to get the exact
Variation of mass flow rates and the pressure oscillation within the OPTR.
3. To plot the mass flow rates and pressure oscillation on a phasor, so as to visualize the dependence
Of one quantity on the other and study the phase relationship.

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4. THERMODYNAMIC STUDY OF SINGLE ORIFICE PULSE TUBE

CRYOCOOLER
The study of the working process of the pulse tube refrigerator becomes very complex due to the
oscillating flow and due to the presence of the regenerator, orifice-reservoir and the double inlet valve.
Compression and expansion of the gas column inside the pulse tube is the reason behind the cooling
effect observed at the cold end of the pulse tube. The compression and expansion process of the working
gas within the pulse tube lies between adiabatic and isothermal processes.
Liang et al [12] was the first to attempt solving the working mechanism of pulse tube refrigerator by
analyzing the thermodynamic behavior of the gas element as adiabatic process. The following
assumptions are made in conjunction with the adiabatic behavior of the working gas:

Hot-end heat exchanger, cold-end heat exchanger and the regenerator have been assumed to be
perfect, which means that there will be a constant temperature gradient between its hot end and its
cold end and the heat exchangers will work at constant temperature at steady state.

Working fluid has been assumed to be an ideal gas.

Viscous effect of the gas has been neglected.

The variation of mass flow rates, pressure and temperature has been assumed to be sinusoidal.

There is no phase difference between the pressure and the temperature throughout the working space
of the pulse tube refrigerator.

There is no length wise mixing or heat conduction.

Figure 9 orifice Pulse Tube Refrigerator (OPTR) with the Working fluid assumed to be Helium gas

The pressure variation within the pulse tube has been assumed to be sinusoidal, so the pressure variation
at any instant within the pulse tube is computed with the help of the following equation

18 | P a g e

i.e.
= + 1 sin()
Where, = 2
Now in order to calculate mass flow rate, pressure and temperature as a function of time and
position in the system, the governing equations are applied to all of the discrete volumes. These equations
include the ideal gas law, the mass conservation equation and the energy conservation equations.
Substituting the ideal gas law into the mass conservation equations for the regenerator gives

)
= (
)=
=

Where;

ln

As the temperature profile within the regenerator has been assumed to vary linearly along its
length, so instead of average temperature we have to take the logarithmic mean temperature of the same.
Since the temperature at the hot-end heat exchanger and the cold-end heat exchanger has been assumed
to be constant so similarly proceeding we can get the mass flow rates at the hot-end heat exchanger and
the cold-end heat exchanger as:

)
= (
)=
=

( )
= (
)=
=

For determining the mass flow rate within the pulse tube we assume energy conservation equation
instead of mass conservation as the temperature is known to vary along with the pressure which is
sinusoidal in nature. Hence applying the energy conservation equation in the pulse tube we get,

19 | P a g e


( ) =

Using the above mentioned equation and the ideal gas law, we get,

= ( )

Or,
=

Combining these equations we get mass flow rate at the cold end heat exchanger as,

+

=
Where;

= +

As we can see from the diagram shown above,

mo mh
Also we can express the mass flow rate at through the orifice as,
= ( )
Where, Z is the impedence and is given by the formula;
=

The pressure variation within the pulse tube is already know but the pressure variation of the
compressor is still not known, which can be found by assuming that the mass flow rate within the
regenerator is directly proportional to the pressure difference between the compressor and the pulse tube
i.e.

mreg Creg ( Pcp Pt )

20 | P a g e

Where, Creg is calculated using Erguns law for laminar flow and is mathematically given by the
Following formula:

2 2
3
=
4 150 (1 )2

The results obtained on doing the analysis were plotted in GNUPLOT and the code has been generated
in the SciLab software .

21 | P a g e

5. Generated code in SCILAB and results.

5.1

Generated code for Thermodynamic study of single orifice pulse tube cryocooler in
Scilab

Figure 10 Code generated in SCILAB for Thermodynamic analysis

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The results obtained on executing the code shown above were as follows:

These results are obtained on running the code for t=0 to 1 second at an interval of 0.1 second

Figure 11 Result obtained from thermodynamics energies

23 | P a g e

a) Design data:
Components

Parameters

Regenerator

Length (Lreg) = 0.3 m

Diameter (Dreg) = 0.032 m
Porosity (ev) = 0.7
Hydraulic Diameter (Dh) = 0.04 mm

Pulse Tube

Length (Lpt) = 0.8 m

Diameter (Dpt) = 0.02 m
Volume (Vpt) = 0.00025 m3

Cold-end Heat Exchanger

Volume (Vchx) = 0.00002 m3

Hot-end Heat Exchanger

Volume (Vhhx) = 0.00002 m3

Orifice

Diameter (D0) = 1 mm

Reservoir

Volume(Vr)=0.007 m3
Table 1 Design Data for Adiabatic Model

b) Operating condition:
Operating Parameters

Values

Average Pressure

10.5bar

Oscillating Pressure

2bar

Frequency

2 Hz

Cold- End Heat Exchanger

100K

Hot-End Heat Exchanger

300K

Table 2 Operating condition for Adiabatic Model

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c) Fluid properties:
Physical Condition
Temperature(200K)
Pressure(10 bar)

Physical Properties
Dynamic Viscosity()=15.21x10-6 Ns/m2
Density ( ) =2.389Kg/m3
Specific Heat Capacity at Constant
pressure(Cp)=5193.0J/KgK
Gas Constant(R)= 2074.6J/KgK
Adiabatic Constant()=1.67

Table 3 Fluid properties for Adiabatic Model

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A. Graph representing the pressure variation within the pulse tube (Pt), the compressor (Pc)

Figure 12 Pressure Variation within The Pulse Tube (Pt), The Compressor (Pc)

B. Graph representing the mass flow rates through the regenerator (mreg) and pressure (P).

Figure 13 Mass Flow Rates Through The Regenerator (Mreg) And Pressure (P).

26 | P a g e

C. Graph representing the mass flow rate through hot heat exchanger (mhhx) and pressure (P).

Figure 14 the mass flow rate through hot heat exchanger (m hhx) and pressure (P).

D. Graph representing mass flow rate through pulse tube (mpt) and pressure (P):

Figure 15 Mass Flow Rate through Pulse Tube (Mpt) And Pressure (P)

27 | P a g e

E. Graph representing mass flow rate through cold heat exchanger (mchx) and pressure (P):

Figure 16 Mass Flow Rate Through Cold Heat Exchanger (Mchx) And Pressure (P)

F. Graph representing mass flow rate through cold heat exchanger (mchx) and mass flow rate
through hot heat exchanger (mhhx) and showing the phase difference between them in the zoomed
view on right top corner:

Figure 17 Mass Flow Rate through Cold Heat Exchanger (Mchx) And Mass Flow Rate through Hot Heat Exchanger
(Mhhx)

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6. PHASOR ANALYSIS
There are several methods adopted to analyze PT cryocooler amongst which phasor analysis is
one of the easiest method to verify the consistency and check the obtained result. A phasor diagram for
a pulse tube refrigerator (PTR) is a vectorial representation of mass flow rate, pressure, and temperature
at different locations as a function of time. Phasor or phase vector is a way of representation of a sinusoidal
function whose amplitude (A), phase () and frequency () are time-invariant. It can be called as a sub
set of a more general concept called analytic representation.
In the present work, phasor analysis of pulse tube cryocooler is presented based on the law of
conservation of mass. The phasor analysis helps to understand the importance of phase difference
between mass flow rate at the cold end and the pressure pulse in the pulse tube. The refrigerating effect
for different types of PTR strongly depends on the phase shift arrangement and also on the phase
difference. Refrigeration effect can be obtained as follows.
=< >=
Where,

| | cos

is phasor angle.

Q = refrigeration effect
Thus we can see that for given design and operating parameters more refrigeration effect can be
obtained by lowering the phasor angle .Hence theoretically should be zero to get maximum refrigeration
effect. Thus numerical value of would be indicative of the losses in system .Now basically phasor angle
is the difference of phase of mass flow rate in each component with pressure .In phasor analysis adiabatic
process is assumed in PT and isothermal process in all other parts. We have previously assumed mass
flow rate through orifice is proportional to pressure difference and thus it would be in phase with pressure
lying on horizontal axis. Now all the vertical components for each different component is dependent on
its respective operating parameters and thus makes phasor angle useful for determining various operating
parameters while designing cryocooler for required refrigeration effect. Here the phasor analysis is done
at steady state to obtain the final refrigeration effect.

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Figure 18 Phasor diagram

Notation:
Th
mh A
Tc

PV
1 hhx

PV
1 chx

PV
1 reg

RTc

RTh

RTmean

PV
1 pt
C
RTc

PV
1 eq
RTmean

From the phasor diagram obtained earlier, a code was generated to calculate the parameters using the
lengths in the phasor diagram and the results obtained were very close to that obtained using the code
written earlier using the thermodynamic analysis. The code for the same is shown below

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Figure 19 Code For phasor diagram in SCILAB

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On executing the above given code we obtain the phase angles between the various parameters and the
pressure vector. We also obtain the values of different parameters from analyzing the phasor diagram.
The results obtained were as follows:-

Figure 20 Results obtained through CODE

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Mass flow rates in different sections of

the systems

Results obtained by
Phasor analysis
()

Mcp (mass flow rate in compressor)

0.0056625

Results obtained by
Thermodynamics analysis
of systems
()
0.004781

Mreg (mass flow rate in regenerator)

0.0044512

0.0038991

Mchx (mass flow rate in cold heat

exchanger)
Mc (mass flow rate through cold end of
pulse tube)
Mhhx (mass flow rate in hot
heat exchanger)
Mo (mass flow rate through orifice)

0.0032161

0.0023905

0.0030597

0.0023905

0.0008025

0.0007968

0.0007984

0.0007968

Mh(mass flow rate through hot end of

pulse tube)
Mpt (mass flow rate through pulse tube)

0.0007984

0.0007968

0.0024136

0.0023905

Table 4 Comparison of results obtained from both the codes

Angle between various mass flow rates

and Pressure
( Mcp and pressure)

Phase angle obtained by phasor analysis

( Mreg and pressure)

57.445336

( Mchx and pressure)

41.862082

( Mc and pressure)

38.481130

( Mhhx and pressure)

1.9312147

64.976497

Table 5 Phase angle of various parameters with pressure vector

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7. Conclusion
A thorough study of the mass flow rate through the various parts of a GM type single orifice Pulse
Tube Cryocooler (OPTC) was done. This study helped in developing a SciLab code which helped us
generate the time varying graphs for the mass flow rate and pressure oscillation at the various parts of a
GM type single orifice Pulse Tube Cryocooler when a initial working condition and dimensions for the
various components of the OPTC are provided.
The output of the SciLab program was further used to construct a phasor diagram for the mass
flow rates at various sections of the GM type OPTC, which is a convenient way to observe the phase
relationship and hence make necessary adjustments to optimize the output.
The output shown by the SciLab code was within 10% - 15% range of the predicted results of the
phase diagram. It was also observed that the mass flow rate at various sections in a typical GM type
single orifice pulse tube cryocooler varies sinusoidally with time due to sinusoidal variation in pressure.
It was also observed that the Refrigeration effect is a function of cosine of the phase angle and hence
an increase in phase angle tends to reduce the refrigeration effect.
Hence we could conclude that the study of phase angles is very important for achieving the
optimum conditions of operation for the pulse tube to reduce the viscous dissipation effects and smoother
functions of pulse tube cryocooler.

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8. References
[1] Radebaugh, Ray. Development of the pulse tube refrigerator as an efficient and reliable Cryocooler,
Proc. Institution of Refrigeration (London) 1999-2000.
[2] Gifford, W.E. and Longsworth, R.C. Pulse tube refrigeration, Trans ASME B J Eng. Industry
86(1964), pp.264-267.
[3] Mikulin, E.I., Tarasow, A.A. and Shkrebyonock, M.P. Low temperature expansion Pulse tube,
Advances in cryogenic engineering 29(1984), pp.629-637.
[4] Zhu Shaowei, Wu Peiyi and Chen Zhongqi, Double inlet pulse tube refrigerators: an Important
improvement, Cryogenics30 (1990), pp. 514-520.
[5] Gifford, W.E. and Kyanka, G.H. Reversible pulse tube refrigerator, Advances in Cryogenic
engineering 12(1967), pp.619-630.
[6] De Boer, P. C. T., Thermodynamic analysis of the basic pulse-tube refrigerator, Cryogenics34 (1994),
pp. 699-711.
[7] Mikulin, E.I., Tarasow, A.A. and Shkrebyonock, M.P. Low temperature expansion pulse Tube,
Advances in cryogenic engineering 29(1984), pp.629-637.
[8] Storch, P.J. and Radebaugh, R Development and experimental test of an analytical model Of the orifice
pulse tube refrigerator, Advances in cryogenic engineering 33(1988), Pp.851-859.
[9] L.Mohanta and M.D. Atrey, Phasor Analysis of Pulse Tube Refrigerator, Cryocoolers 16 (2011), 299308
[10] Hofmann and H. Pan, Phase Shifting in Pulse Tube Refrigerator, Cryogenics (1999)
[11] Shashank Kumar Kushwaha , Amit medhavi & Ravi Prakash Vishvakarma, Mathematical Analysis of
Pulse Tube Cryocoolers Technology, Global Journal of researches in engineering Electrical and
electronics engineering ,Volume 12, Issue 6, Version 1.0( 2012),pp.21-31.
[12] Study on pulse tube refrigeration, J.Liang, A.Ravex, P.Rolland. Cryogenics Volume 36, issue 2
Pp.101-106.

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