Cooling technology to create and maintain thermal environment
below extremely low temperature (120 K, -153℃)

Technology using expansion of gas compressed with several
hundred atmospheric pressure to cool down to an extremely low
temperature within a few seconds

 

Client / Market

• Rapid cooling of infrared detector, small analytical instrument, cryosurgery, gas liquefaction

 

Necessity of this Technology

• Cryogenic cooling is crucial for a cooling type detector to achieve high resolution
  and clear image.
• For cryosurgery using extremely low temperature require safe and temperaturecontrolled
  cooling technology.
• Joule-Thomson cooling technology is a cooling technology that is smaller than
  other cryocoolers like Stirling cooler, pulse tube cooler, and GM cooler, can be
  operated under lower vibration level and enables rapid cooling.

 

Technical Differentiation

• Joule-Thomson cooling technology uses the cooling effect (Joule-Thomson effect)
  that occurs through sudden expansion of high-pressure gas that passes through
  a fine nozzle and amplifies the cooling effect through the high-efficiency heat
  exchanger to generate cryogen for cooling.
  
• In cooling of infrared detector, the Stirling or pulse tube cryocooler requires a
  few minute, but Joule-Thomson cooler uses a high flow rate of high pressure
  compressed gas to cool down to a cryogenic temperature in a few seconds. Its
  structure is relatively simpler and is easy to be miniaturized.
• A series of development process is needed for development of Joule-Thomson
  cooler including cooling cycle design, design and production technologies for
  components like heat exchanger, nozzle and flow control apparatus, and cooling
  function performance test.
• To secure sufficient cooling and long operating time while achieving rapid cooling,
  it is necessary to obtain optimal design technologies for small/high-efficiency heat
  exchanger, nozzle and flow control apparatus.
• For performance assessment of Joule-Thomson cooler, vacuum and cryogenic
  environment need to be established, and the thermal/structure design and
  operation technology of performance evaluation apparatus needs to be secured.

Excellence of Technology

• Equipped with technology for the entire development process for Joule-Thomson
  cooler–cooling cycle design, design of components (heat exchanger, nozzle, flow
  control apparatus), and cooling performance assessment (In-house design program
  for Joule-Thomson cooler design/cycle analysis/heat exchange and nozzle design
  program)
• Performance analysis technologies for Joule-Thomson cooler in steady and
  transient state
• Thermodynamic cycle analysis technologies for single (nitrogen, argon) and mixed
  refrigerant
• Completed verification of the technology through rapid cooling Joule-Thomson
  cooler development and performance test
  

 

CURRENT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT STATUS

PATENT

• Joule-Thomson Cooler Design (Program JTGUI: Registration No. 2011-01-123-
  005467, JTDESIGN2 : Registration No. 2011-01-123-005453)
• Joule-Thomson Cooler Cycle Analysis (Program JTR-CD (Joule Thomson
  Refrigerator-Cool Down) : Registration No. 08-01-121- 003011, JTC2ST : Registration
  No. 2010-01-121-004322)
• Nozzle, Flow Control Apparatus Design (Program NzFlow : Registration No. 2009-
  01-121-005649, TdBellows : Registration No. 2011-01-123-004743)
• Joule-Thomson Cooler Thermal Load Analysis (Program ColdFinger : Registration
  No. 2009-01-121-001780)

KNOW-HOW

• Joule-Thomson cooler’s cooling performance assessment technology