Experimental demonstration of cryocooler electronics with multiple mechanical cryocooler types

This paper describes a series of experiments during which a particular cryocooler control electronics (CCE) was shown to successfully drive several very different cryocoolers and simulated cryocooler loads, including a space pulse tube cryocooler, long life tactical Stirling coolers, and even a simulated reverse turbo Brayton (RTB) cryocooler compressor. This CCE is an early brassboard version of a low cost, radiation hard cryocooler electronics module being developed primarily for cost-constrained, but nevertheless mission critical military and civilian spaceborne applications. This design is also applicable for tactical applications which seek to support multiple cryocooler types and/or vendors with a given CCE. The CCE provides high efficiency DC-to-AC conversion, automated cool down, and precision temperature control. The results demonstrate convincingly that this CCE design is broadly supportive of a wide range of thermodynamic-mechanical cryocooler units (TMUs) for a subsequently broad range of payloads and missions.