Periodic 10 K Metal Hydride Sorption Cryocooler System

A program is being performed to design, fabricate, and test a metal hydride sorption cryocooler system capable of supplying periodic refrigeration at 10 K. The system is intended to cool a focal plane array for a low-earth orbit satellite. The refrigeration is effected by sublimating solid hydrogen at 10 K. The solid hydrogen is produced in a batch process by cooling, solidifying, and subcooling liquid hydrogen formed at 30 K by a Joule-Thomson expansion. The spent hydrogen from the sublimation and Joule-Thomson expansion is absorbed by two metal hydride sorption bed assemblies.