Design and Development of Mechanical System of Stirling Cryocooler for Space Application

A reliable cryocooler is one of the basic and foremost requirements for successful operation of Infrared Sensor used for Space applications. Technological complexity and requirement of long duration fail-safe operation of the cryocooler demands robust design, fabrication and assembly with tolerances. The theoretical investigations in the design of Stirling cycle cryocooler will be reported and the issues related to the design aspects will discuss in sufficient details. The Balance within reciprocating parts was always been a concern of designers. Any unbalance within a cooler can result in component fatigue and failure, excessive vibration and noise. So, it is a need of mechanical system which can perform efficiently with elimination of mechanical losses including vibration and wear losses. The components that affect the balance of the cryocooler will identify and different design aspects within each component that affect the balance will be explored. Design using CAD software and further weight optimization and size by changing design parameter and by selection of material which is applicable for space application. The Calculations that were used to calculate static and dynamic balance of the system and how these affect the design of our cryocooler will investigate. This paper deals with design of Stirling cryocooler for space application of 1 W at 80 K. It has the advantages of highest efficiency over the other types of cryocooler, light weight. One of the disadvantage of Stirling cryocooler is vibration as it has two moving elements in each cylinder. This can be reduced with the help of selection of motor used for operation and hence efficient cryocooler can be made that will be helpful for large space observations for a longer period of time.