Life test results of hydride compressors for cryogenic refrigeratorsA development status assessment is made, from the viewpoint of system durability, for the hydride compressors used in such cryogenic refrigerators as that of the JPL, which has operated at 29 K for 500 hours and at lower temperatures for over 1000. Attention is given to a novel hydride compressor unit which has operated through 35,000 cycles and exhibits negligible degradation of check valves, hydride particle size, and expansion valves. The power requirement for liquid hydrogen cooling can be halved through the use of recuperative hot water heating methods, making this system comparable in power use to liquid hydrogen refrigeration systems operating on electricity. Due to the lack of moving parts in hydride refrigerator designs, potential service lifetimes of many years, and perhaps decades, are being projected.
Document ID
19840035064
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Jones, J. A. (California Institute of Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Applied Mechanics Div., Pasadena CA, United States)
Golben, P. M. (Ergenics Corp. Wyckoff, NJ, United States)