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Completed TRL 3 (started at 3, targeting 6)
The objective of the Cup Recuperator activity is for Creare, LLC to develop a novel approach to manufacturing the micro-tube heat exchangers (recuperators) used with the Reverse Turbo-Brayton Cycle cryocoolers. The legacy fabrication and assembly process used on the 150W/90K RTB activity resulted in the recuperator under performing and failing the vibration test which was needed for technology advancement to TRL 6. This new design eliminates the root cause of underperformance which was flow maldistribution. This activity will design and demonstrate the novel recuperator configuration. This recuperator technology is applicable to liquid oxygen, methane and hydrogen storage.
This process eliminates manufacturing gaps and reduces cost. This activity will demonstrate the build and test of the cup recuperator and the design will be intended to replace the existing recuperator in the 150W/90K RTB unit. Once built, the unit will be thermally characterized, then exposed to a vibration environment, then performance verified thru a second thermal characterization test. This activity will advance the recuperator TRL built with this novel approach from TRL 4 to TRL 6.
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