The CryoTel Family of Cryocoolers

Sunpower is the manufacturer of a high-value family of Stirling cryocoolers. The CryoTel® product group is designed for use in a wide array of fields that include: astronomy, medical, sensors, telecommunications, gas liquefaction, superconductors, and bio-processing. The CryoTel® cryocoolers are designed to be versatile and adaptable.

Sunpower started developing compact Stirling cryocooler products in the late 1980s. One of the early models, the M77, was introduced in 1992 and sold over 150 units to numerous customers. One M77 cryocooler commissioned by NASA has orbited the earth on the RHESSI satellite since February of 2002.

In response to customers' needs for a lower-cost, higher-volume product, Sunpower developed a cryocooler manufacturing capability in the late 1990s. Sunpower designed the M87 cryocooler, increased emphasis on manufacturability. Hundreds of the M87 cryocooler model were built for testing and sale.

Today, Sunpower sells the CryoTel® family of cryocoolers with a variety of configurations at a low price for diverse array of applications. A number of customer-specific models have also been developed.

CryoTel® Model

MT

CT

GT

Ambient Operation

-40°C to

60°C

-40°C to 60°C

-40°C to

60°C

Orientation

any

any

any

Nominal Cooler Input Power

80 Watts

160 Watts

240 Watts

Power Supply

DC 24 V/DC48V

DC 24 V

DC 48V

Performance

 

 

 

Lift Range at 77 K (35°C reject)

4.5-6.0 Watts

9.5-11 Watts

14.5-16.0 Watts

No Load Temperature (35°C reject)

40K

35 K

35K

Cooler Mass

2.1 kg

3.1 kg

3.1 kg

Operating Frequency

60 Hz

60 Hz

60 Hz

Temperature Stability

+ 0.1K

+ 0.1K

+ 0.1K

Skin Drawing

pdf

pdf

pdf

Performance Curve

pdf

pdf

pdf

The standard cryocooler package includes the cryocooler controller, RTD temperature sensor, cables and data adapter.

Cryocooler Configuration Variations Available

There are a number of configuration variations available with the CryoTel cryocoolers.

  • Dewar/cryostat flange
    An NW-50 flange can be supplied in bolted-on/O-ring seal or welded form. Custom flanges can be accommodated for an extra charge.
  • Heat rejection options
    Waste heat must be rejected from the cryocooler, maintaining a reject temperature (at the external cryocooler reject surface) not exceeding 70°C. This can be done conductively with a standard unit. Sunpower can provide air cooling fins or a liquid cooling jacket to make it easier for the customer to manage the heat rejection.
  • Cold end temperature sensor
    The cryocooler is supplied with a standard RTD temperature sensor. Alternatively, Sunpower can provide a silicon diode temperature sensor in conjunction with the standard 24 VDC controller.
  • Controller
    The CryoTel® includes a 24 VDC input controller. 110V, 60 Hz and 230V, 50 Hz AC controllers are also available, but the AC controllers do not have temperature feedback.
  • Vibration absorber
    A passive balance unit is standard with the CryoTel® CT, GT and MT. Sunpower also offers an active (drivable) balance unit for stringent vibration control.

Warranty

The CryoTel® carries an 24-month full replacement warranty, exclusive of failure due to misuse. Sunpower develops other warranty arrangements for specific customers.
Warranty Information(PDF)

Available Models

There are three Croytel® models available for purchase:
CryoTelMT® (5 W @ 80 K, 80 W input, 35ºC reject)
CryoTel CT® (10 W @ 77 K, 160 W input, 35ºC reject)
CryoTel GT® (15 W @ 77 K, 240 W input, 35ºC reject)