A cryocooler is described that can include a pressure wave generator, and a refrigeration device (for example, a cold-head), which can be used to liquefy a gas when the gas is exposed to a surface of the refrigeration device. The pressure wave generator can include one or more motors. Each motor can include a stator, and at least one electrical coil wound around a portion of the stator. The electrical coil can generate a reversing magnetic field when alternating electric current is passed through the electrical coil. The motor can further include a pressurized container that can be placed within the space enclosed by the stator, and a piston that can be placed inside the pressurized container. The stators can be placed external to the pressurized container. The piston is made by combining magnets that have opposite and transverse polarities, and are combined adjacently on a common reciprocating axis.

Provided is a linear compressor. Provided is a linear compressor. The linear compressor includes a shell defining an internal space, a compressor body disposed in the internal space, and a passage guide disposed between the shell and the compressor body. The passage guide may include a first guide part extending along an inner surface of the shell in an axial direction and a second guide part extending from the first guide part to the compressor body in a radial direction.

A pulse-tube cryocooler includes a compressor piston that is axially aligned with a pulse tube. The compressor piston is an annular piston that has a central hole around its axis. An inertance tube, connected to one end of the pulse tube, runs through the central hole in the compressor piston. The cryocooler also includes a balancer that moves in opposition to the compressor piston, to offset the forces in moving the compressor piston. The balancer may also be axially aligned with the pulse tube, the annular piston, and the inertance tube. The alignment of the compressor piston, the pulse tube, and the inertance tube aligns the forces produced by movement of fluid within the cryocooler.

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to reduce mechanical vibrations within a cryocooler/refrigeration system configured to provide cryogenic and/or general cooling of a device or sensor system. A cryocooler includes a motor driver controller configured to receive operational parameters and generate motor driver control signals and/or balancer system control signals based, at least in part, on the received operational parameters, and a motor driver configured to receive the control signals and generate drive signals to drive a motor and/or a balancer system of the cryocooler. The cryocooler includes a motorized and/or actively balanced expander configured to drive and/or balance motion of a displacer of the expander. The expander includes a magnet ring fixed to the displacer and a motor coil disposed within a cylinder head of the motorized and/or actively balanced expander.

An active gas regenerative refrigerator includes a plurality of compressor-expander units, each having a hermetic cylinder with a drive piston configured to be driven reciprocally therein, and a quantity of working fluid in each end of the cylinder. A piston seal in a central portion of the cylinder prevents passage of the working fluid between ends of the cylinder. Movement of the piston to a first extreme results in radial compression of one of the quantities of working fluid in a cylindrical gap formed between one end of the piston and an inner surface of the cylinder, while the other quantity is expanded in the opposite end of the cylinder. The piston includes a plurality of magnets arranged in pairs, with magnets of each pair positioned with like-poles facing each other. A piston drive is configured to couple with transverse magnetic flux regions formed by the magnets.

An expander unit of a cryogenic refrigerator device includes a moving assembly with a porous regenerative heat exchanger configured to move back and forth along a longitudinal axis. A magnetic spring assembly includes a stationary magnetic assembly fixed to the cold finger base that includes one or more magnetic rings fixedly arranged about a bore. A movable magnetic assembly includes one or more movable magnetic rings fixed to the moving assembly, An outer lateral dimension of each of the movable magnetic rings is less than an inner lateral dimension of the bore. The stationary magnetic assembly and the movable magnetic assembly are configured such that, when the moving assembly is displaced along the longitudinal axis from an equilibrium position, attractive and repulsive forces between the movable magnetic assembly and the stationary magnetic assembly yield a restoring force that is directed to restore the moving assembly to the equilibrium position.

A heat station for a GM or Stirling cycle expander provides a versatile, efficient, and cost effective means of transferring heat from a remote load at cryogenic temperatures that is cooled by a circulating cryogen to the gas in a GM or Stirling cycle expander as it flows between a regenerator and a displaced volume. The heat exchanger comprises a shell that has external and internal fins thermally connected to it that are aligned parallel to the axis of the shell and enclosed in a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port on the bottom of the housing.

A compressor includes a discharge conduit that extends between a discharge valve and a hermetic shell within the hermetic shell. A sealing connection assembly includes a housing mounted to one of the discharge valve and the hermetic shell. An inner surface of the housing has a tapered portion that contracts to a sealing edge. An end portion of the discharge conduit is positioned within the passage of the housing such that an outer surface of the discharge conduit is positioned on and contacts the inner surface of the housing at the sealing edge.

A linear compressor according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a shell; a cylinder which is provided inside the shell and forms a compression space of a refrigerant; a frame which is coupled to the outer side of the cylinder; a piston which is provided so as to perform a reciprocating movement in an axial direction inside the cylinder; a motor which supplies power to the piston; and a spring mechanism which is coupled to the piston to allow the piston to perform a resonant movement, wherein the spring mechanism may comprise: a support which is connected to the piston and comprises a spring support unit having one or more insertion holes formed therein; a first coupling protrusion which extends from the rear side of the spring support unit along the edge of the insertion hole; a support cap which is inserted into the insertion hole and comprises a second coupling protrusion protruding from the front side of the spring support unit; a first resonant spring which is inserted into the outer circumferential surface of the second coupling protrusion; and a second resonant spring which is inserted into the outer circumferential surface of the first coupling protrusion.

A helium management control system for controlling the helium refrigerant supply from a common manifold supplies cryogenic refrigerators with an appropriate helium supply. The system employs sensors to monitor and regulate the overall refrigerant supply to deliver an appropriate refrigerant supply to each of the cryogenic refrigerators depending on the computed aggregate cooling demand of all of the cryogenic refrigerators. An appropriate supply of helium is distributed to each cryopump by sensing excess and sparse helium and redistributing refrigerant accordingly. If the total refrigeration supply exceeds the demand, or consumption, excess refrigerant is directed to cryogenic refrigerators which can utilize the excess helium to complete a current cooling function more quickly. If the total refrigeration demand exceeds the total refrigeration supply, the refrigerant supply to some or all of the cryogenic refrigerators will be reduced accordingly so that detrimental or slowing effects are minimized based upon the current cooling function.