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A closed-cycle dilution refrigerator for space applications.

Author(s) : CHAUDHRY G., VOLPE A., CAMUS P., et al.

Type of article: Article

Summary

The authors discuss the development of a gravity-insensitive dilution refrigerator adapted from the open-cycle refrigerator used for the Planck mission. Since the 3He and 4He components are circulated (the 4He by a fountain-effect pump operating at about 2 K, the 3He by a compressor at room temperature) rather than ejected into space, the lifetime of a closed-cycle refrigerator is not limited by the quantity of 3He and 4He available. In this work, they concentrate on the design and performance of the cold end (counterflow heat exchanger and mixing chamber) of the refrigerator. They discuss the sizing of the heat exchanger and present cooling power measurements. They detail the working of the fountain pump. They also briefly touch upon some practical issues including the choice of a 3He compressor and the pre-cooling requirements for the dilution refrigerator.

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