Pulse tube refrigerator adopting integrated water-cooling heat exchange module

Abstract

The invention discloses a pulse tube refrigerator adopting an integrated water-cooling heat exchange module. The pulse tube refrigerator comprises a compressor, a heat regenerator, a pulse tube, a water-cooling heat exchange cavity and an air reservoir. The compressor is connected with an after-stage heat exchanger of the heat regenerator, a cold-end heat exchanger of the heat regenerator is connected with a cold-end heat exchanger of the pulse tube, and a hot-end heat exchanger of the pulse tube is communicated with the air reservoir through an inertia tube; the after-stage heat exchanger, the inertia tube, the water-cooling heat exchange cavity and the air reservoir form an integrated water-cooling heat exchange module; wherein the inertia pipe is tightly attached to the outer surface of the after-stage heat exchanger, the after-stage heat exchanger and the inertia pipe are wrapped by the water-cooling heat exchange cavity, and a clearance space is reserved between the inner surface of the water-cooling heat exchange cavity and the inertia pipe; and the air reservoir surrounds the water-cooling heat exchange cavity to form a coaxial structure. The high compactness of the system can be considered while the heat dissipation and phase modulation capabilities of the inertia tube are enhanced, so that the efficiency of the pulse tube refrigerator is improved, and the requirements of different application scenes are met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of pulse tube refrigerators, and in particular to a pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module. Background Art

[0002] Pulse tube refrigerators have no moving parts at low temperatures and are characterized by high reliability, high compactness, long life, low cost and easy manufacturing, which makes them widely used in cryogenic medicine, semiconductors, aerospace and other fields. The development of pulse tube refrigerators is mainly due to the progress of phase modulation technology and miniaturization technology. There are many types of pulse tube refrigerators, such as basic type, small hole type, two-way air intake type, double piston type, four-valve type and inertial tube type. Since the expansion work of the hot end of the pulse tube can only be dissipated in the form of heat in the phase modulator, the efficiency is low, and there are strict requirements on the size of the pulse tube refrigerator in many specific occasions, so optimizing the phase modulation technology and miniaturization technology of the pulse tube refrigerator has become the focus of current research.

[0003] For example, a Chinese patent document with publication number CN118442720A discloses an integrated pulse tube refrigerator, including a refrigerator cold finger, a piston-type phase adjustment mechanism, two main drive mechanisms and a gas path connection mechanism. The two main drive mechanisms and the piston-type phase adjustment mechanism are coaxially arranged, and the refrigerator cold finger is arranged vertically therewith. The whole machine is simple and compact, and the loss of the connecting pipeline is small, which realizes the goals of integration, compactness and high efficiency of the refrigerator, and is convenient for coupling and application with the cooled device; and the piston-type phase adjustment mechanism is used for phase adjustment, which has a wide phase adjustment range, a compact structure, and a precise phase adjustment angle, which is conducive to achieving high efficiency of the pulse tube refrigerator.

[0004] The Chinese patent document with publication number CN119022498A discloses a pulse tube refrigerator using 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 comprises a water-cooled heat exchange cavity, an inertial tube and a gas reservoir, the water-cooled heat exchange cavity wraps the inertial tube and the gas reservoir inside, and a gap space is left between the inner surface of the water-cooled heat exchange cavity 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. The heat of the inertial tube gas reservoir is taken away in time, the phase adjustment capability of the inertial tube is enhanced, and the efficiency of the pulse tube refrigerator is improved.

[0005] In special application scenarios, the highly compact design of the pulse tube refrigerator is essential to adapt to space constraints. However, the existing pulse tube refrigerator design generally ignores the heat dissipation problem of the inertial tube, which may lead to an increase in ambient temperature and thus weaken the phase modulation ability of the inertial tube. At present, the solution to the heat dissipation problem of the inertial tube is mainly to add an independent water cooling module to the post-stage heat exchanger of the pulse tube refrigerator, but this method not only increases the complexity of the system, but also reduces the compactness of the overall structure. For the inertial tube pulse tube refrigerator, part of the acoustic power at its hot end needs to be converted into heat dissipation in the inertial tube gas reservoir. The phase modulation efficiency of the inertial tube is closely related to the viscosity and density of the gas. As the temperature increases, the gas density decreases, which will cause the phase modulation ability of the inertial tube to be weakened accordingly. Therefore, in order to maintain the efficient operation of the inertial tube pulse tube refrigerator, the temperature must be finely controlled to ensure that the density and viscosity of the gas are within the optimal range, thereby maintaining the phase modulation efficiency of the inertial tube.

[0006] Therefore, it is urgent to design a pulse tube refrigerator structure to enhance the heat dissipation and phase modulation capabilities of the inertial tube while taking into account the high compactness of the system to meet the needs of different application scenarios. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention provides a pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module, which can enhance the heat dissipation and phase adjustment capabilities of the inertia tube while taking into account the high compactness of the system, thereby improving the efficiency of the pulse tube refrigerator and meeting the needs of different application scenarios.

[0008] A pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module, comprising a compressor, a regenerator, a pulse tube, a water-cooled heat exchange cavity and a gas reservoir;

[0009] The compressor is connected to the post-stage heat exchanger of the regenerator, the cold end heat exchanger of the regenerator is connected to the cold end heat exchanger of the pulse tube, and the hot end heat exchanger of the pulse tube is connected to the gas reservoir through an inertia tube;

[0010] The post-stage heat exchanger, inertia tube, water-cooled heat exchange chamber and gas reservoir constitute an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module; wherein the inertia tube is tightly fitted to the outer surface of the post-stage heat exchanger, the water-cooled heat exchange chamber wraps the post-stage heat exchanger and the inertia tube, and a gap space is left between the inner surface of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber and the inertia tube; the gas reservoir surrounds the water-cooled heat exchange chamber to form a coaxial structure.

[0011] Preferably, the water-cooled heat exchange chamber is provided with two flow channel openings on the side walls close to the top and the bottom, respectively, for realizing two water circulation modes of water flow: water flow in from top to bottom and water flow out from bottom to top.

[0012] Furthermore, the two flow channel openings near the top and the two flow channel openings near the bottom each include a water inlet and a water outlet; wherein, the water inlets at the top and the bottom are on the same side, and the water outlets at the top and the bottom are on the same side, so that the water flows obliquely during the process of entering upwards and exiting downwards and entering downwards and exiting upwards, thereby enhancing the water flow disturbance and improving the heat exchange capacity.

[0013] Furthermore, by switching the two water circulation modes at regular intervals, the water flows up and down in the water-cooled heat exchange chamber to form a periodic alternating circulation of the water flow, ensuring that each part of the post-stage heat exchanger and inertia tube is cooled in time.

[0014] The heat exchange mode between the gas reservoir and the water-cooled heat exchange chamber is heat conduction and heat convection. The heat released by the high-temperature gas inside the gas reservoir is transferred through the outer wall of the heat exchange chamber and exchanges heat with the cold fluid, ensuring that the gas reservoir can achieve rapid and effective heat dissipation.

[0015] When only one water flow circulation direction is used, the water will gradually take away heat when flowing in the heat exchange chamber, causing the water temperature to gradually rise when approaching the outlet, which is generally higher than the inlet water temperature, thereby reducing the heat exchange between the water flow and the part of the inertia tube near the outlet, causing the inertia tubes near the inlet and outlet to form a temperature gradient, affecting the phase adjustment ability of the inertia tube.

[0016] By switching the two water cycles at regular intervals, the water can be flushed up and down in the water-cooled heat exchange chamber to form a periodic alternating cycle of water flow, that is, after a period of time, it switches to top-in and bottom-out, and after a period of time, it switches to bottom-in and top-out, so that every part of the inertia tube and the post-stage heat exchanger can get timely heat dissipation.

[0017] In the present invention, the water-cooled heat exchange chamber is a cylinder, which tightly wraps the inertia tube and the post-stage heat exchanger inside. Preferably, the shape of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber can be designed according to the shape of the gas reservoir to adapt to changes in different structures.

[0018] Preferably, the inertia tube is coiled and attached to the outer surface of the post-stage heat exchanger and contained in the water-cooled heat exchange chamber. Water flows in and out of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber to flush the inertia tube and the post-stage heat exchanger back and forth, taking away the heat.

[0019] The inertia tube can be a copper tube with a smooth outer surface. Preferably, the inertia tube adopts a finned copper tube or other structure that can increase the outer surface area, thereby increasing the heat exchange area and improving the heat exchange efficiency, thereby strengthening the heat exchange between the inertia tube and the water flow and taking away the heat of the inertia tube more quickly.

[0020] The gas reservoir surrounds the water-cooled heat exchange cavity to form a coaxial structure with the water-cooled heat exchange cavity, and conducts heat exchange through the outer wall surface of the water-cooled heat exchange cavity.

[0021] The surface of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber may be smooth. Preferably, the outer wall of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber may be a fin structure or other structure that can increase the surface area. The water-cooled heat exchange chamber is made of stainless steel, preferably copper, which has high thermal conductivity and strong heat exchange capacity.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the water-cooled heat exchange module of the present invention solves the problem of the inertia tube temperature rising due to the untimely dissipation of acoustic power at the inlet of the inertia tube in the inertia tube and the air reservoir, and places the inertia tube and the post-stage heat exchanger under one water-cooled module, which not only improves the compactness of the system but also reduces one water-cooled module, thereby reducing the cost and total energy consumption of the system. Specifically, it has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0023] 1. The present invention can timely take away the acoustic power at the inlet of the inertia tube in the form of heat, thereby preventing the temperature of the inertia tube from rising and causing the phase modulation capability to weaken.

[0024] 2. The present invention adopts a water-cooled heat exchange chamber with two water inlets and two water outlets. By switching the water inlets at regular intervals, water can be alternately circulated in an upward inflow and downward outflow or downward inflow and upward outflow manner, so that each part of the inertia tube and the post-stage heat exchanger can obtain timely heat dissipation.

[0025] 3. In the water-cooled heat exchange chamber of the present invention, the inertia tube is coiled on the wall of the post-stage heat exchanger, which ensures a compact structure on the one hand, realizes direct contact heat exchange between the inertia tube and the post-stage heat exchanger and water, and has a strong heat exchange capacity. The indirect contact heat exchange between the gas reservoir and the water-cooled heat exchange chamber enables heat to be taken away in time. On the other hand, the inertia tube, the post-stage heat exchanger and the gas reservoir share a cold source, and there is no need to set up a separate water cooling module for the post-stage heat exchanger and the inertia tube, thereby reducing the cost and total energy consumption of the system.

[0026] 4. In the water-cooled heat exchange cavity of the present invention, the inertia tube is coiled on the wall of the post-stage heat exchanger, and the air reservoir surrounds the water-cooled heat exchange cavity. While cooling the inertia tube, the water flow can also take away the heat in the air reservoir, thereby avoiding weakening the phase adjustment ability of the inertia tube due to the increase in the air reservoir temperature.

[0027] 5. The present invention has a simple structure and can be applied to linear, U-shaped and coaxial pulse tube refrigerators. Compared with the traditional pulse tube refrigerator that only uses the gas reservoir inertia tube for phase adjustment, the present invention integrates the inertia tube, the post-stage heat exchanger and the gas reservoir, which improves the compactness while also improving the system's phase adjustment capability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative labor.

[0029] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of a pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module according to the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber and the gas reservoir in the present invention.

[0031] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the inertia tube coiled on the surface of the post-stage heat exchanger in the present invention.

[0032] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the position of the flow channel opening in the present invention.

[0033] In the figure: 1- compressor, 2- post-stage heat exchanger, 3- regenerator, 4- cold end heat exchanger, 5- pulse tube, 6- inertia tube, 7- water-cooled heat exchange cavity, 8- gas reservoir. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be pointed out that the embodiments described below are intended to facilitate the understanding of the present invention and do not have any limiting effect on the present invention.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, a pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module includes a compressor 1, a post-stage heat exchanger 2, a regenerator 3, a cold end heat exchanger 4, a pulse tube 5, an inertia tube 6, a water-cooled heat exchange cavity 7 and an air reservoir 8. The inertia tube 6 is tightly wound around the outer wall of the post-stage heat exchanger 2, and the air reservoir 8 surrounds the water-cooled heat exchange cavity 7, forming a coaxial structure.

[0036] In the present invention, by providing a water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7, the problem of the inertia tube temperature rising due to the untimely dissipation of acoustic power at the inlet of the inertia tube in the inertia tube and the air reservoir is solved, thereby avoiding weakening the phase adjustment capability of the inertia tube.

[0037] Specifically, Figure 2 As shown, the integrated water-cooled heat exchange module consists of a post-stage heat exchanger 2, an inertia tube 6, a water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7 and an air reservoir 8. The water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7 includes the inertia tube 8 and the post-stage heat exchanger 2, and the air reservoir 8 surrounds the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7 to form a coaxial structure. A certain gap is left between the inner wall of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7 and the post-stage heat exchanger 2 and the inertia tube 6 for water circulation to carry away heat.

[0038] The water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7 is a cylinder, which tightly wraps the post-stage heat exchanger 2 and the inertia tube 6. The shape of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber can be designed according to the shape of the gas reservoir to adapt to the changes of different structures.

[0039] like Figure 3As shown, two flow channel openings are respectively arranged near the top and bottom sides of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7, which are used as the inlet and outlet of the circulating water.

[0040] 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 7 are opened, water flows in from the upper part of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7, directly contacts the post-stage heat exchanger 2 and the inertia tube 6 for heat exchange, and then flows out from the lower part, forming a water flow cycle with top in and bottom out. 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 7, directly contacts the post-stage heat exchanger 2 and the inertia tube 6 for heat exchange, and then flows out from the upper part, forming a water flow cycle with bottom in and top out.

[0041] When the water circulation of water flowing in upward and out downward and in downward and in upward and out is switched regularly by any method in the present invention, the water circulation of water flowing in upward and out downward and in downward and out upward can be realized in the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7, so that each part of the post-stage heat exchanger and the inertia tube can obtain timely heat dissipation.

[0042] like Figure 4 As shown, as an implementation method, the inertia tube 6 is coiled on the outer surface of the post-stage heat exchanger 2. At this time, the inertia tube 6 can be a copper tube with a smooth outer surface, or the post-stage heat exchanger 2 and the inertia tube 6 can be equipped with fins to increase the heat exchange area and improve the heat exchange efficiency, thereby strengthening the heat exchange between the post-stage heat exchanger 2, the inertia tube 6 and the water flow, and taking away the heat of the post-stage heat exchanger 2 and the inertia tube 6 more quickly. In specific applications, the post-stage heat exchanger 2 and the inertia tube 6 can also adopt other structures that can increase the outer surface area of ​​the copper tube, so that the heat exchange between the post-stage heat exchanger 2 and the inertia tube 6 and the water flow can be strengthened, so that the heat of the post-stage heat exchanger 2 and the inertia tube 6 can be taken away in time.

[0043] The surface of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7 can be smooth, or the outer wall of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7 can be a fin structure or other structure that can increase the surface area. The material of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber 7 can be stainless steel or copper material, which has high thermal conductivity and strong heat exchange capacity.

[0044] In summary, in the present invention, the phase adjustment mechanism of the pulse tube refrigerator adopts an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module to timely remove the heat of the post-stage heat exchanger, the inertia tube and the gas reservoir, enhance the phase adjustment capability of the inertia tube, improve the efficiency of the pulse tube refrigerator, improve the overall compact performance and reduce the cost and energy consumption of the system. In order to promote uniform heat dissipation of the inertia tube, the integrated water-cooled heat exchange module adopts two water inlets and two water outlets to form a periodic alternating circulating water to flush the post-stage heat exchanger and the inertia tube back and forth, so that every heat of the post-stage heat exchanger and the inertia tube can be dissipated in time.

[0045] The embodiments described above provide a detailed description of the technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention. It should be understood that the above are only specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, supplements and equivalent substitutions made within the scope of the principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module, characterized in that: It comprises a compressor (1), a regenerator (3), a pulse tube (5), a water-cooled heat exchange chamber (7) and a gas reservoir (8); The compressor (1) is connected to a post-stage heat exchanger (2) of a regenerator (3), a cold-end heat exchanger of the regenerator (3) is connected to a cold-end heat exchanger of a pulse tube (5), and a hot-end heat exchanger of the pulse tube (5) is connected to a gas reservoir (8) via an inertia tube (6); The post-stage heat exchanger (2), the inertia tube (6), the water-cooled heat exchange chamber (7) and the gas reservoir (8) constitute an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module; wherein the inertia tube (6) is tightly fitted on the outer surface of the post-stage heat exchanger (2), the water-cooled heat exchange chamber (7) wraps the post-stage heat exchanger (2) and the inertia tube (6), and a gap space is left between the inner surface of the water-cooled heat exchange chamber (7) and the inertia tube (6); the gas reservoir (8) surrounds the water-cooled heat exchange chamber (7) to form a coaxial structure.

2. The pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water-cooled heat exchange chamber (7) is provided with two flow channel openings on the side walls close to the top and the bottom, respectively, for realizing two water circulation modes: water flows in from top to bottom and water flows out from bottom to top.

3. The pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two flow channel openings near the top and the two flow channel openings near the bottom each include a water inlet and a water outlet; wherein the water inlets at the top and the bottom are on the same side, and the water outlets at the top and the bottom are on the same side, so that water flows obliquely during the process of inflow and outflow and inflow and outflow.

4. The pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module according to claim 2, characterized in that: By switching between the two water circulation modes at regular intervals, water flows up and down in the water-cooled heat exchange chamber (7) to form a periodic alternating circulation of water flow, thereby ensuring that each part of the post-stage heat exchanger (2) and the inertia tube (6) is cooled in a timely manner.

5. The pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inertia tube (6) is coiled and adhered to the outer surface of the post-stage heat exchanger (2).

6. The pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water-cooled heat exchange chamber (7) is a cylinder, or is designed according to the shape of the gas reservoir (8) to adapt to changes in different structures.

7. The pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inertia tube (6) is a finned tube or other structure that increases the surface area of ​​the inertia tube (6).

8. The pulse tube refrigerator using an integrated water-cooled heat exchange module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the water-cooled heat exchange cavity (7) adopts a fin structure or other structure that increases the outer surface area of ​​the water-cooled heat exchange cavity (7).

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