Design Study on a Multi-Stage Stirling Cycle Cooler for Space Applications

摘要

The requirements for a low temperature two-stage Stirling cycle cooler are discussed, and a specification is given. Techniques for analyzing the cycle are considered, and a model for the single stage cooler is extended to the two-stage cooler. Parasitic losses which limit the performance of the cooler are estimated for the single and two-stage cooler. Their relative magnitudes as a function of temperature are calculated. The results of the calculations are compared with the performance of a prototype two-stage cooler. The possibility of increasing the size of the cooler is also considered, and its performance predicted. The applicability of candidate regenerator materials is evaluated.