Development of a laboratory model of activated charcoal–nitrogen adsorption cryocooler Original Research Article

The development of a laboratory model of a charcoal–nitrogen adsorption cryocooler is described. The results on characterization of various components of this cooler and performance of the ensemble are presented. Four compressor cells are operated 90° out of phase to generate 0.0364 g/s (1.75 slpm) of nitrogen at a pressure of 5.2 MPa. The cycle time per compressor was 8 min, equally apportioned between heating and cooling. The high pressure gas is pre-cooled to 193 K and expanded through a J–T/heat exchanger assembly. A cold tip temperature of 124 K is obtained at a parasitic heat load of 0.36 W.