Development of a Two-Stage Alternate Joule-Thomson Cryo-Cooler for AAWS-M Risk Reduction

Abstract

The latest in infrared imaging Focal Plane Array (FPA) technology incorporates Mercury Cadmium Telluride, a material that must be cooled to liquid nitrogen temperatures for operation. Fast cool-down, within five seconds, has been achieved under a harsh temperature environment (71 deg C). A Joule-Thomson Cryo-cooler employing two heat exchanger stages has been developed. High pressure Krypton flows through one stage, providing initial pre-cooling, while high pressure Nitrogen simultaneously flows through the other stage. The two- stage gas flow approach along with the superior pre-cooling properties of Krypton enable cool-down under five seconds.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA243957

Entities

People

  • Alan W. Pope
  • Walter E. Miller

Organizations

  • United States Army Aviation and Missile Command

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Cyber
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Back Pressure
  • Boiling Point
  • Classification
  • Construction
  • Cryostats
  • Detectors
  • Flow
  • Flow Rate
  • Focal Plane Arrays
  • Focal Planes
  • Gas Flow
  • Heat Exchangers
  • Heat Transfer
  • High Pressure
  • Materials
  • Security
  • Steady State

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Image Processing and Computer Vision.
  • Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Technology.
  • Mechanical Engineering/Mechanics of Materials.