The Development of the CryoTel™ LT and GT

This paper describes the considerations, design modifications and test results for the recently‐developed Sunpower CryoTel™ LT and GT. After successful market introduction of the CryoTel™ CT, it became evident that some basic design modifications would render the unit available to a wider range of application. The CryoTel™ LT is a low‐temperature variant of the original design. The LT’s cooling capacity is 0.5W @ 23 K. The CryoTel™ GT is the enhanced performance variant. The GT’s cooling capacity is 15 W @ 77 K. Both LT and GT largely retain the original structure and components and therefore benefit from the low‐cost manufacturing profile of the original. Sunpower’s main analysis and simulation tools were in‐house codes and Gedeon Associates’ SAGE Stirling cycle simulation. The CryoTel™ is a Linear Free Piston Integral Stirling cryocooler that makes use of Gas Bearing technology for non‐contact operation and a microprocessor based driver/controller with a closed‐loop temperature control.