A pulse tube refrigeration unit employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage system

Abstract

This invention discloses a pulse tube refrigerator employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir, comprising a pulse tube, a hot-end heat exchanger, and a water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir connected in sequence. The water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir includes a water-cooled heat exchange chamber, an inertial tube, and a gas reservoir. The water-cooled heat exchange chamber encloses the inertial tube and gas reservoir internally, with a gap between the inner surface of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber and the inertial tube gas reservoir. The two ends of the inertial tube are connected to the hot-end heat exchanger and the gas reservoir, respectively. Using this invention, heat from the inertial tube gas reservoir can be removed promptly, enhancing the phase-regulating capability of the inertial tube and improving the efficiency of the pulse tube refrigerator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of pulse tube refrigerators, and in particular to a pulse tube refrigerator employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir. Background Technology

[0002] Since the invention of the pulse tube refrigerator in the 1960s, various forms have emerged, including the basic type, orifice type, bidirectional inlet type, double piston type, four-valve type, and inertial tube type. The performance of the pulse tube refrigerator has also been continuously improved due to changes in the hot-end phase adjustment method. Compared with other refrigerators, the pulse tube refrigerator has the advantage of having no parts operating at low temperatures, avoiding wear and sealing problems caused by mechanical movement at low temperatures. Therefore, it has a simple structure and reliable operation, and has been widely used in the aerospace and military fields.

[0003] For example, Chinese patent document CN108168133A discloses an inertial tube pulse tube refrigerator, which includes a compressor and a cold head. The cold head includes a hot end heat exchanger, a regenerator, a cold end heat exchanger, an inertial tube and a pulse tube connected in sequence. The hot end heat exchanger is connected to the compressor, and a power dissipation device is also connected at the pulse tube to dissipate the expansion work of the gas.

[0004] Chinese patent document CN106839491A discloses a pulse tube refrigerator, which includes a compression unit, a transmission pipe, a regenerator unit, a connecting pipe, a pulse tube unit, an inertial tube unit, and a gas reservoir connected in sequence. The inertial tube unit includes at least two inertial tubes connected in parallel. By using parallel inertial tubes for phase adjustment and increasing the flow resistance by adding branches, the phase adjustment capability is increased, thereby improving the performance of the refrigerator.

[0005] In pulse tube refrigerators, the inertial tube has strong phase-tuning capability and does not cause DC phenomena, making it widely used in high-power and small pulse tube refrigerators. Because a portion of the acoustic power at the hot end of the pulse tube in an inertial tube type pulse tube refrigerator needs to be dissipated as heat in the inertial tube gas reservoir, and the phase-tuning capability of the inertial tube is related to the viscosity and density of the gas, an increase in temperature will cause a decrease in gas density, thus weakening the phase-tuning capability of the inertial tube. In other words, if the inertial tube cannot dissipate heat in time, its phase-tuning capability will be weakened, leading to a decrease in the efficiency of the refrigerator.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a pulse tube refrigerator structure that improves the refrigeration efficiency of the refrigerator by enhancing the heat dissipation capacity of the inertial tube. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the shortcomings of pulse tube refrigerators mentioned in the background art, this invention provides a pulse tube refrigerator employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir, which can promptly remove heat from the inertial tube gas reservoir, enhance the phase adjustment capability of the inertial tube, and improve the efficiency of the pulse tube refrigerator.

[0008] A pulse tube refrigerator employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage unit includes a pulse tube, a hot-end heat exchanger, and a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage unit connected in sequence.

[0009] The water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir includes a water-cooled heat exchange chamber, an inertial tube, and a gas reservoir. The water-cooled heat exchange chamber encloses the inertial tube and the gas reservoir, and a gap space is left between the inner surface of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber and the inertial tube gas reservoir. The two ends of the inertial tube are respectively connected to the hot-end heat exchanger and the gas reservoir.

[0010] Preferably, the water-cooled heat exchange chamber is provided with two flow channel openings at the top and bottom to realize two circulation modes: water flowing in from top to bottom and water flowing in from bottom to top.

[0011] Furthermore, both the top and bottom flow channel openings include an inlet and an outlet. The top and bottom inlets are on the same side, and the top and bottom outlets are on the same side, allowing the water to flow obliquely during upward and downward flow, enhancing flow turbulence and improving heat exchange capacity.

[0012] In this invention, in order to promote uniform heat dissipation of the inertial tube, the water-cooled inertial tube air reservoir adopts two water inlets and two water outlets, which can form a periodic alternating circulating water to flush the inertial tube back and forth, so that the heat of every part of the inertial tube can be dissipated in time.

[0013] When only one water flow direction is used, the water flow will gradually carry away heat during heat exchange in the heat exchange chamber, causing the water temperature to gradually rise near the outlet, generally higher than the inlet water temperature. This reduces the heat exchange between the water flow and the inertial tubes near the outlet, creating a temperature gradient between the inertial tubes near the inlet and outlet, which affects the phase adjustment capability of the inertial tubes.

[0014] By switching between the two water circulation methods at regular intervals, the water flow can be made to flow up and down in the water-cooled heat exchange chamber to form a periodic alternating water flow cycle. That is, after a period of time, it switches to top inlet and bottom outlet, and after a period of time, it switches to bottom inlet and top outlet, so that every part of the inertial tube and air reservoir can be cooled in time.

[0015] In this invention, the water-cooled heat exchange cavity is cylindrical, tightly enclosing the inertial tube and the gas reservoir inside. Preferably, the shape of the water-cooled heat exchange cavity can be designed according to the shape of the gas reservoir to adapt to different structural variations.

[0016] The inertial tube is coiled around the outer surface of the air reservoir and contained within a water-cooled heat exchange chamber. Water flows in and out of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber, repeatedly washing over the inertial tube and the air reservoir, carrying away heat. The inertial tube is a smooth copper tube. Preferably, the inertial tube is a finned copper tube or other structure that increases the outer surface area, thereby increasing the heat exchange area and improving the heat exchange efficiency. This enhances the heat exchange between the inertial tube and the water flow, and more quickly removes the heat from the inertial tube.

[0017] To achieve a more compact structure, the inertial tube can also be coiled inside the gas reservoir, in close contact with the inner wall of the gas reservoir. Water flows through the channel formed by the gas reservoir and the water-cooled heat exchange chamber, exchanging heat with the surface of the gas reservoir and thus carrying away the heat from the inertial tube inside the gas reservoir. The surface of the gas reservoir is smooth; preferably, the surface can be a finned structure or other structure that increases the external surface area. The gas reservoir is made of stainless steel, preferably copper, which has a high thermal conductivity and strong heat exchange capacity.

[0018] Compared with existing technologies, the water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir of this invention solves the problem of temperature rise in the inertial tube caused by untimely dissipation of acoustic power at the inertial tube inlet within the inertial tube and gas reservoir, thus avoiding weakening the phase-tuning capability of the inertial tube. Specifically, it has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0019] 1. This invention can promptly remove the acoustic energy at the inertial tube inlet as heat, preventing the inertial tube temperature from rising and thus reducing the phasing capability.

[0020] 2. The present invention uses a water-cooled heat exchange chamber with two inlets and two outlets. By switching the inlets at timed intervals, the water flow can be alternately circulated from top to bottom and from bottom to top, so that every part of the inertial tube and the air reservoir can be cooled in time.

[0021] 3. In the water-cooled heat exchange chamber of the present invention, the inertial tube is coiled around the gas reservoir, which ensures a compact structure and simultaneously enables direct heat exchange between the inertial tube, the gas reservoir, and the water, resulting in strong heat exchange capacity and allowing heat to be carried away in a timely manner.

[0022] 4. In the water-cooled heat exchange cavity of the present invention, the inertial tube is coiled around the inner wall of the gas reservoir, and a certain gap is left between the water flow heat exchange cavity and the outer surface of the gas reservoir. The water flows in a circulation within the gap space to exchange heat with the outer surface of the gas reservoir, which removes the heat inside the inertial tube and makes the structure more compact, which is beneficial to practical applications.

[0023] 5. The present invention has a simple structure and can be applied to linear, U-shaped and coaxial pulse tube refrigerators. Compared with traditional pulse tube refrigerators that use gas reservoir inertial tubes for phase adjustment, the phase adjustment capability is improved. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of a pulse tube refrigeration unit using a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the water-cooled inertial tubular gas storage device in this invention;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the location of the flow channel opening in this invention;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the inertial tube coiled around the outer surface of the gas storage tank in this invention;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the inertial tube coiled around the inner surface of the gas storage tank in this invention.

[0030] In the diagram: 1-Compressor, 2-Afterstage heat exchanger, 3-Regenerator, 4-Cold end heat exchanger, 5-Pulse tube, 6-Hot end heat exchanger, 7-Water-cooled inertial tube gas storage, 8-Water-cooled heat exchange chamber, 9-Inertial tube, 10-Gas storage. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the features in the following embodiments and implementation methods can be combined with each other.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, a pulse tube refrigerator employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir includes a compressor 1, a post-stage heat exchanger 2, a regenerator 3, a cold-end heat exchanger 4, a pulse tube 5, a hot-end heat exchanger 6, and a water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir 7. The water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir 7 is connected after the hot-end heat exchanger 6.

[0034] In this invention, by setting up a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage 7, the problem of inertial tube temperature rise caused by untimely dissipation of acoustic power at the inertial tube inlet within the inertial tube and gas storage is solved, thus avoiding weakening the phase adjustment capability of the inertial tube.

[0035] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, the water-cooled inertial tube air reservoir 7 consists of a water-cooled heat exchange chamber 8, an inertial tube 9, and an air reservoir 10. The water-cooled heat exchange chamber 8 contains the inertial tube 9 and the air reservoir 10. A certain gap is left between the inner wall of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 8 and the inertial tube 9 and the air reservoir 10 for water circulation to remove heat.

[0036] The water-cooled heat exchange cavity 8 is cylindrical, tightly enclosing the inertial tube 9 and the gas reservoir 10 inside. The shape of the water-cooled heat exchange cavity can be designed according to the shape of the gas reservoir to adapt to different structural variations.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 8 has two flow channel openings at the top and bottom, which serve as the inlet and outlet of the circulating water.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, when only the upper flow channel A and the lower flow channel D of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 8 are opened, water flows in from the upper part of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 8, directly contacts the inertial tube 9 and the air reservoir 10 for heat exchange, and then flows out from the lower part, forming an upper-in and lower-out water flow circulation; when only the lower flow channel C and the upper flow channel B are opened, water flows in from the lower part of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 8, directly contacts the inertial tube 9 and the air reservoir 10 for heat exchange, and then flows out from the upper part, forming a lower-in and upper-out water flow circulation.

[0039] When the water circulation of water flow is switched between upward inflow and downward outflow and downward inflow and upward outflow at regular intervals by any method in this invention, the alternating circulation of water flow between upward inflow and downward outflow and downward inflow and upward outflow can be realized in the water-cooled inertial tube air reservoir 7, so that each part of the inertial tube and air reservoir can be cooled in time.

[0040] like Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment, the inertial tube 9 is coiled around the outer surface of the air reservoir 10. In this case, the inertial tube 9 can be a smooth copper tube, or it can be a finned copper tube, which increases the heat exchange area and improves the heat exchange efficiency, thereby enhancing the heat exchange between the inertial tube 9 and the water flow, and more quickly removing the heat from the inertial tube 9. In specific applications, the inertial tube 9 can also adopt other structures that increase the outer surface area of ​​the copper tube, all of which can enhance the heat exchange between the inertial tube 9 and the water flow, allowing the heat from the inertial tube 9 to be removed in a timely manner.

[0041] like Figure 5 As shown, in another embodiment, the inertial tube 9 can be coiled inside the air reservoir 10. The inertial tube 9 is in close contact with the inner surface of the air reservoir 10. The heat of the inertial tube 9 is transferred to the air reservoir 10 through contact heat conduction. A certain gap is left between the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 8 and the outer surface of the air reservoir 10. The water flows in the gap space to exchange heat with the outer surface of the air reservoir 10, which removes the heat inside the inertial tube 9 and makes the structure more compact, which is beneficial to practical applications.

[0042] At this time, the outer surface of the air reservoir 10 adopts a finned structure to increase the heat exchange area and improve the heat exchange efficiency, thereby enhancing the heat exchange between the surface of the air reservoir 10 and the water flow, so that the heat of the inertial tube 9 can be carried away in time.

[0043] In summary, in this invention, the phase-adjusting mechanism of the pulse tube refrigerator employs a water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir to promptly remove heat from the inertial tube gas reservoir, enhancing the phase-adjusting capability of the inertial tube and improving the efficiency of the pulse tube refrigerator. To ensure uniform heat dissipation from the inertial tube, the water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir uses two inlets and two outlets, forming a periodic alternating circulating water flow that washes back and forth over the inertial tube, ensuring that heat from every part of the inertial tube is dissipated in a timely manner.

[0044] The embodiments described above provide a detailed explanation of the technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above descriptions are merely specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, additions, and equivalent substitutions made within the scope of the principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pulse tube refrigeration unit employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage system, characterized in that, It includes sequentially connected pulse tubes, hot-end heat exchangers, and water-cooled inertial gas storage tanks; The water-cooled inertial tube gas reservoir includes a water-cooled heat exchange chamber, an inertial tube, and a gas reservoir. The water-cooled heat exchange chamber encloses the inertial tube and the gas reservoir, and a gap space is left between the inner surface of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber and the inertial tube gas reservoir. The two ends of the inertial tube are respectively connected to the hot-end heat exchanger and the gas reservoir.

2. The pulse tube refrigeration unit employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The water-cooled heat exchange chamber is provided with two flow channel openings at the top and bottom to realize two water circulation modes: water flowing in from the top and water flowing out from the bottom, and water flowing in from the bottom and water flowing out from the top.

3. The pulse tube refrigeration unit employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The two flow channel openings at the top and the two flow channel openings at the bottom each contain an inlet and an outlet. The inlets at the top and bottom are on the same side, and the outlets at the top and bottom are on the same side, allowing the water to flow obliquely during the upward and downward flow and the downward and upward flow processes.

4. The pulse tube refrigeration unit employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage as described in claim 2, characterized in that, By switching between two water circulation modes at regular intervals, the water flow is made to flow up and down in the water-cooled heat exchange chamber to form a periodic alternating water flow, ensuring that every part of the inertial tube and the air reservoir can be cooled in time.

5. The pulse tube refrigeration unit employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inertial tube is coiled around the outer surface of the gas storage tank.

6. The pulse tube refrigeration unit employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage according to claim 5, characterized in that, The inertial tube is a finned tube or other structure that increases the outer surface area of ​​the inertial tube.

7. The pulse tube refrigeration unit employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inertial tube is coiled around the inner surface of the gas storage tank, and the inertial tube is in close contact with the inner surface of the gas storage tank.

8. The pulse tube refrigeration unit employing a water-cooled inertial tube gas storage according to claim 7, characterized in that, The outer surface of the gas storage unit adopts a finned structure or other structures that increase the outer surface area of ​​the gas storage unit.

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