Pulse tube refrigerator

Abstract

A pulse tube refrigerator that is small in size and free from vibration and electric noise. A pulse tube refrigerator ( 1 ) has a pulse tube, a cool storage unit connected to the low-temperature side of the pulse tube, a vibration generator connected to the high-temperature side of the cool storage unit, and a reservoir with an orifice, connected to the high-temperature side of the pulse tube. The vibration generator is a thermally driven pressure wave generator having thermal drive tubes (heat exchangers ( 4 - 4 a ) for heat radiation), a phase shifter ( 7 ), and a return path ( 6 ). Sufficiently heating a heat exchanger ( 3 ) for heating causes self-exciting vibration to be generated in a work transmission tube ( 5 ), and work is returned to the thermal drive tubes through the phase shifter ( 7 ) and the return path ( 6 ) arranged on the work output side of the work transmission tube ( 5 ). The work is amplified by the thermal drive tubes, and is then outputted from the work transmission tube ( 5 ) and fed to the pulse tube refrigerator ( 1 ). A vibration generator for a pulse tube refrigerator that is small in size and free from vibration and noise can be realized.

1 . A pulse-tube refrigerator comprising a pulse tube, a cool storage unit connected to the low-temperature side of said pulse tube, a vibration generator connected to the high-temperature side of said cool storage unit, and a reservoir with an orifice connected to the high-temperature side of said pulse tube, wherein said vibration generator is a heat-driven pressure-wave generator comprising a heat-driven tube, a phase shifter that is connected to the outlet port of said heat-driven tube at its one end, and a return path that connects the other end of said phase shifter to the inlet port of said heat-driven tube, wherein said heat-driven tube consists of a heat-storage unit, a heating heat exchanger, a radiation heat exchanger, and a work-transmission tube.  
   
   
       2 . A pulse-tube refrigerator comprising a pulse tube, a cool storage unit connected to the low-temperature side of said pulse tube, a vibration generator connected to the high-temperature side of said cool storage unit, and a reservoir with an orifice connected to the high-temperature side of said pulse tube, wherein said vibration generator is a heat-driven pressure-wave generator comprising a heat-driven tube and a resonator connected to the low-temperature-side end of said heat-driven tube, wherein said heat-driven tube consists of a heat-storage unit, a heating heat exchanger, a radiation heat exchanger, and a high-temperature buffer.  
   
   
       3 . A pulse-tube refrigerator comprising a pulse tube, a cool storage unit connected to the low-temperature side of said pulse tube, a vibration generator connected to the high-temperature side of said cool storage unit, and a reservoir with an orifice connected to the high-temperature side of said pulse tube, wherein said vibration generator is a heat-driven pressure-wave generator comprising a heat-driven tube and a resonator connected to the inlet port of said heat-driven tube, wherein said heat-driven tube consists of a heat-storage unit, a heating heat exchanger, a radiation heat exchanger, and a work-transmission tube.  
   
   
       4 . A pulse-tube refrigerator comprising a pulse tube, a cool storage unit connected to the low-temperature side of said pulse tube, a vibration generator connected to the high-temperature side of said cool storage unit, and a reservoir with an orifice connected to the high-temperature side of said pulse tube, and further comprising a gas-spring resonator disposed between said pulse tube and said orifice.  
   
   
       5 . A pulse-tube refrigerator comprising a pulse tube, a cool storage unit connected to the low-temperature side of said pulse tube, a vibration generator connected to the high-temperature side of said cool storage unit, and a reservoir with an orifice connected to the high-temperature side of said pulse tube, and further comprising a phase shifter disposed between said pulse tube and said orifice.  
   
   
       6 . A pulse-tube refrigerator comprising a pulse tube, a cool storage unit connected to the low-temperature side of said pulse tube, a vibration generator connected to the high-temperature side of said cool storage unit, and a reservoir connected to the high-temperature side of said pulse tube, and further comprising a phase shifter with leakage disposed between said pulse tube and said reservoir.