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Study on the effect of air contamination in helium on the reliability of a Helium Joule-Thomson cryocooler.

Author(s) : QU P., CHEN Z., WEI Z., ZHANG Y., CHU J., YANG B., CHEN X., LIU S.

Type of article: IJR article

Summary

Gas contamination significantly limits the reliability of Helium Joule-Thomson Cryocoolers (JTC) in long-life space missions. Distinct from previous studies that focus on contamination during cooldown, this research investigates the dynamic clogging mechanism caused by gradual contaminant accumulation during continuous operation. A method of multiple quantitative additions of air is employed to explore the impact on operating characteristics. Experimental results reveal that air contaminants primarily desublimate into solid frost layers in the second-stage counter-flow heat exchanger (CFHX 2) within the temperature range of 65–15 K, eventually leading to clogging. This process exhibits four novel stages: nucleation-growth, steady-growth, collapsereconstruction, and clogging. To elucidate the mechanism, a gas contaminant desublimation model is established. Simulation results confirm that nitrogen deposits heavily around 35–45 K within CFHX 2, serving as the primary source of flow resistance. Furthermore, the study uncovers that the synergistic deposition of multicomponent contaminants may lead to the frost layer instability observed during the collapse-reconstruction stage. This work clarifies the dynamic clogging mechanism of air contamination, providing a quantitative basis for reliability assessment and suppression strategies for Helium JTCs.

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Details

  • Original title: Study on the effect of air contamination in helium on the reliability of a Helium Joule-Thomson cryocooler.
  • Record ID : 30034609
  • Languages: English
  • Subject: Technology
  • Source: International Journal of Refrigeration - Revue Internationale du Froid - vol. 184
  • Publication date: 2026/04
  • DOI: http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2026.01.025

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