Review on CFD analysis of a single stage Stirling type Pulse tube cryocooler

Cryogenic Engineering, Thermal Engineering

This paper presents review of numerical analysis of a single stage Stirling type Pulse tube cryocooler using commercial available computational fluid dynamic (CFD) software package ANSYS FLUENT®. Pulse tube cryocooler is device used to produce cryogenic temperature and because of absence of moving parts in cold end region, it gives lesser vibration and reliable service over Stirling cryocooler. Due higher reliability, lesser vibration ,no displacer in cold end side, it finds applications in aerospace application, military application for cooling detectors, cooling superconducting magnets, gas liquefaction plants etc. Nodal analysis, Phasor analysis, isothermal analysis gives results with different level of accuracy that lower than numerical one. But simulation of exact phenomenon occurs in pulse tube cryocooler with given level of accuracy is possible by CFD software packages. Complex periodic oscillatory flow occurring in pulse tube can accurately analyzed using CFD analysis. The software enables modeling and simulation of complex transient, multidimensional fluid flow and heat transfer problems occurs in complex geometries. This paper gives idea of work that has been carried out using CFD software for different performance and parametric studies of pulse tube cryocooler. Paper shows modeling of various components like regenerator, pulse tube, heat exchangers, phase shift mechanism and reservoir; parametric study on Pulse tube cryocooler like effect of operating condition and physical dimension; cool down behavior, pressure and velocity variation. All heat exchanger, after cooler and regenerator are modeled as porous media. Thermal equilibrium and non-thermal equilibrium scheme can be used to simulated heat transfer between working gas and solid matrix. Idea of User defined function (UDF) to simulate piston cylinder effect is also presented.

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