Acronimo: COOL VIBES
Titolo: Ultra-low vibrations thermal switch for Pulse Tube cryocoolers
Responsabile scientifico: dott. Luca PEZZATO - Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale-Università degli Studi di PADOVA
Coordinatore: prof. Antonio D’ADDABBO – Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
Partner-Unità di ricerca: Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale-Università degli Studi di PADOVA
Bando: PRIN 2022 - Decreto Direttoriale n. 104 del 02-02-2022
Durata: 28/09/2023 – 27/09/2025 (24 mesi)
Budget totale progetto: € 246.597,00

Abstract del progetto

Vibrations dampening in cryogen-free refrigerators is a subject of great interest in low temperature community. In order to maintain Kelvin environments, the usage of compressor driven cryocoolers, such as Pulse Tube (PT), has proven to be cost-effective and largely preferable in terms of automation, safety and duty cycle. Nonetheless, wet cryogenics based on liquid helium (LHe) is often still preferred over a cryogen-free approach, due to enhancing of mechanical vibrations caused by PT.

The technology used to transmit the cooling power from PT to the cryogenic system is crucial for the abatement of the technical noise affecting the lowest temperature stages. We propose the development of an ultra-low vibration thermal switch for systems equipped with one or multiple PT. The device would provide a high conductance thermal link from the cold heads of the PT to the cryogenic volumes, acting at the same time as a high efficiency mechanical decoupler. The proposed activity also includes the study of a thermal switch based on gaseous helium, able to thermally decouple the PT from the cryostat with a remote control.