A111D3 DTBETE NATL INST OF STANDARDS & TECH R.I.C. A11 103073272 /Refrigeration for cryogenic sensors and QC100 .U57 NO.607, 1981 C.I NBS-PUB-C 19 NBS SPECIAL PUBLICATION 607 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE / National Bureau of Standards Refrigeration for Cryogenic Sensors and Electronic Systems r Sponsored by International Institute of Refrigeration—Commission A 1 /2 rnj Office of Naval Research— Naval Research Laboratory DU/ Cryogenic Engineering Conference National Bureau of Standards NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS The National Bureau of Standards' was established by an act of Congress on March 3, 1901. The Bureau's overall goal is to strengthen and advance the Nation's science and technology and facilitate their effective application for public benefit. To this end, the Bureau conducts research and provides: (1) a basis for the Nation's physical measurement system, (2) scientific and technological services for industry and government, (3) a technical basis for equity in trade, and (4) technical services to promote public safety. The Bureau's technical work is per- formed by the National Measurement Laboratory, the National Engineering Laboratory, and the Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology. THE NATIONAL MEASUREMENT LABORATORY provides the nafional system of physical and chemical and materials measurement; coordinates the system with measurement systems of other nations and furnishes essenUal services leading to accurate and uniform physical and chemical measurement throughout the Nation's scientific community, industry, and commerce; conducts materials research leading to improved methods of measurement, standards, and data on the properfies of materials needed by industry, commerce, educational institutions, and Government; provides advisory and research services to other Government agencies; develops, produces, and distributes Standard Reference Materials; and provides calibration services. The Laboratory consists of the following centers: Absolute Physical Quantities^ — Radiation Research — Thermodynamics and Molecular Science — Analytical Chemistry — Materials Science. THE NATIONAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY provides technology and technical ser- vices to the public and private sectors to address national needs and to solve national problems; conducts research in engineering and applied science in support of these efforts; builds and maintains competence in the necessary disciplines required to carry out this research and technical service; develops engineering data and measurement capabilities; provides engineering measurement traceability services; develops test methods and proposes engineering standards and code changes; develops and proposes new engineering practices; and develops and improves mechanisms to transfer results of its research to the ultimate user. The Laboratory consists of the following centers: Applied Mathematics — Electronics and Electrical Engineering^ — Mechanical Engineering and Process Technology' — Building Technology — Fire Research — Consumer Product Technology — Field Methods. THE INSTITUTE FOR COMPUTER SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY conducts research and provides scientific and technical services to aid Federal agencies in the selection, acquisition, application, and use of computer technology to improve effectiveness and economy in Government operations in accordance with Public Law 89-306 (40 U.S.C. 759), relevant Executive Orders, and other directives; carries out this mission by managing the Federal Information Processing Standards Program, developing Federal ADP standards guidelines, and managing Federal participation in ADP voluntary standardization activities; provides scientific and technological advisory services and assistance to Federal agencies; and provides the technical foundation for computer-related policies of the Federal Government. The Institute consists of the following centers: Programming Science and Technology — Computer Systems Engineering. 'Headquarters and Laboratories at Gaithersburg, MD, unless otherwise noted; mailing address Washington, DC 20234. ^Some divisions within the center are located at Boulder, CO 80303. or iXAKVAsm JUN 1 5 1981 Refrigeration for Cryogenic Sensors /la-- and Electronic Systems no- ^o^f Proceedings of a Conference held at the National Bureau of Standards, Boulder, CO, October 6-7, 1980 Edited by: J. E. Zimmerman, D. B. Sullivan, and S. E. McCarthy Electromagnetic Technology Division Center for Electronics and Electrical Engineering National Engineering Laboratory National Bureau of Standards Boulder, CO 80303 Sponsored by: International Institute of Refrigeration — Commission A 1/2 Office of Naval Research — Naval Research Laboratory Cryogenic Engineering Conference National Bureau of Standards U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Malcolm Baldrige, Secretary NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Ernest Ambler, Director Issued May 1981 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 81-600038 National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 607 Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), Spec. Publ. 607, 223 pages (May 1981) CODEN: XNBSAV U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1981 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 Price $6.50 (Add 25 percent for other than U.S. mailing) 1 ABSTRACT This document contains the proceedings of a meeting of refrig- eration specialists held at the National Bureau of Standards, Boulder, CO, on October 6 and 7, 1980. Participation included represen- tatives of industry, government, and academia. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss progress in the development of refrigeration systems which have been specialized for use with cryogenic sensors and electronic systems. The meeting focused primarily on the temperature range below 20 K and cooling capacity below 10 W. The meeting was jointly sponsored by the International Institute of Refrigeration-Commission A 1/2, the Office of Naval Research, the Naval Research Laboratory, the Cryogenic Engineering Conference, and the National Bureau of Standards. Keywords: Cryocoolers; cryogenic sensors; helium; refrigeration; superconducting devices. DISCLAIMER Except where attributed to NBS authors, the content of individual sections of this volume has not been reviewed or edited by the National Bureau of Standards. NBS there- fore accepts no responsibility for quality of copy, comments, or recommendations therein. The mention of trade names in this volume is in no sense an endorsement or recommendation of the National Bureau of Standards. 1 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Cover: Drawing of the first Stirling engine from the original 1816 patent. The process of regenerative heat exchange in this engine is a key feature of many present day cryo- coolers. From the book Stirling-Cycle Machines by G. Walker (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1973). 1. Introductory Remarks and Summary, 1 2. "A Preview of Unconventional Suggested Cooling Processes and Some Practical Problems Related to Small Refrigerators," by Pierre M. Roubeau 3 3. "Refrigeration Requirements for Superconducting Computers," by R. W. Guernsey and E. B. Flint 15 4. "Development Approaches for Long-Life Cryo- Coolers," by Ronald White and William Haskin 21 5. "Theoretical Analysis of A 3-Stage Stirling Cycle Cryocooler," by Stuart B. Horn and Mark S. Asher 30 ," 6. "Some Thermodynamic Considerations of Helium Temperature Cryocoolers by D. E. Daney 48 7. "Dynamic Analysis of a Small Free-Piston Resonant Cryorefrigerator," by R. A. Ackermann 57 8. "Methods for the Measurement of Regenerator Ineffectiveness," by Ray Radebaugh, Del Linenberger, and R. 0. Voth 70 9. "Serviceable Refrigerator System for Small Superconducting Devices," by Ralph C. Longsworth 82 10. "Performance of A 1 Watt 4K Cryosystem Suitable for A Superconducting Computer," by E. B. Flint, L. C. Jenkins, and R. W. Guernsey 93 11. "Developments Toward Achievement of a 3-5 Year Lifetime Stirling Cycle Refrigerator for Space Applications," by Max G. Gasser, Allan Sherman, and William Beale 103 12. "Thor Cryocooler," by G. M. Benson and R. J. Vincent 116 V TABLE OF CONTENTS, continued 13. "A Cryogenic System for the Small Infrared Telescope for Spacelab 2," by E. W. Urban, L. Katz, J. B. Hendricks, and G. R. Karr 117 14. "Requirements for and Status of a 4.2°K Adsorption Refrigerator Using Zeolites," by William H. Hartwig 127 15. "Cooling of SQUID Devices by Means of Liquid Transfer Techniques for Reduced Helium Consumption and Enhanced Temperature Stability," by El don A. Byrd and R. G. Hansen 136 16. "A Contamination Free Compressor for Small Scale Stirling Refrigerators," by J. G. Daunt and C. Heiden 141 17. "A Bi-Directional Linear Motor/Generator with Integral Magnetic Bearings for Long Lifetime Stirling Cycle Refrigerators," by Philip A. Studer and Max G. Gasser 146 18. "Destgn Considerations for Mixromintature Refrigerators Using Laminar Flow Heat Exchangers," by W. A. Little 154 19. "Progress in the Development of Microminiature Refrigerators Using Photolithographic Fabrication Techniques," by R. Hollman and W. A. Little 160 20. "Low Temperature Regenerators," by Lawrence A. Wade 21. "Measurement of Thermal Properties of Cryocooler Materials," 173 by J. E. Zimmerman, D. B. Sullivan, R. L. Kautz, and R. D. Hobbs 22. "Gas Heat Switches," i/o by Emanuel Tward . Cryocooler," 23. "Operation of a Practical SQUID Gradiometer in a Low-Power Stirling by D. B. Sullivan, J. E. Zimmerman, and J. T. Ives 24. "Current Status of High Temperature Josephson Device Technology," by M. Nisenoff 210 25. Attendance List vi INTRODUCTORY REMARKS AND SUMMARY