TSP #334 - How Cold Can We Get? Cryocooler Limits, Thermal Lift & Turbomolecular Vacuum Experiments

In this episode Shahriar experiments with a SunPower CryoTel Mini Cryocooler: https://www.sunpowerinc.com/products/... A three-stage turbomolecular vacuum system is used to reach very low pressures of 10E-6 Torr to provide a suitable environment for the cryocooler. Unfortunately, due to the age of this unit, the maximum applied power is limited to 22W. Despite this, reaching temperatures of -210C is possible with no thermal load. A custom heater element is also used to inject thermal energy into the cold tip and measure the available lift from the engine. A new GUI is also developed to control the cryocooler, measure the cold tip temperature, rejection temperature and applied power as a function of time. This allows several cryocooler modes to be explored. Please consider supporting The Signal Path: https://www.TheSignalPath.com/Donate   / thesignalpath   Other links: https://www.TheSignalPath.com   / thesignalpath