2023-06-03

As one of the outstanding representatives of the cryocoolers with low vibration, low electromagnetic interference, high reliability, high cooling efficiency and long lifespan, the high-frequency pulse tube cryocooler widely and successfully applies in special fields such as space. However, conventional cryocoolers has limited cooling capacities, typically in several watts. When applied to superconducting high-power situations, such as fusion magnets and superconducting power systems, it is imperative to overcome the significant challenge of achieving very high cooling capacity (ranging from hundreds to thousands, or even tens of thousands of watts). This has been a critical difficulty that has prevented the widespread practical application of advanced cryocoolers in the field of superconducting high-power applications.
 

Figure: Prototype and test setup of the high-frequency pulse tube cryocooler with the cooling capacity of 1220 W.

Recently, we achieved a milestone by increasing the single-unit cooling capacity to 1220 W. This surpasses our previous record of 1080 W achieved in 2020 and represents the highest cooling capacity ever publicly reported for a single-unit high-frequency pulse tube cryocooler operating in the liquid nitrogen temperature range. The research was recently published in Energy, an international journal in the energy field.

It should be pointed out that this cryocooler was flexibly designed to work effectively in a wide temperature range of 4.2-80 K, accelerating the practical application of high-frequency pulse tube cryocoolers in key fields such as controlled nuclear fusion and superconducting power. 

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