Pulse tube cooler for flight hyperspectral imaging

A new version of TRW's miniature pulse tube cooler system maintains the sho rt wave infrared-focal plane array (SWIR-FPA) (with wavelength spectrum of 0.9-2.5 mu m in the hyperspectral imaging spectrometer for the Hyperion Ins trument) interface at a temperature of 110 K. The cooler provides the nomin ally required cooling load of 0.84 W to the FPA via a cold thermal strap, a t 72% stroke consuming 14.7 W of electrical power, when the heat reject tem perature is at 300 K. This cooler can operate up to 90% stroke, having 1.5 W cooling load, thus having 79% performance margin for the Hyperion mission . Before the installation and operation of the cooler onto the instrument, both the mechanical and the electronics assemblies underwent the environmen tal tests of launch vibration, thermal vacuum cycling, and burn-in. The coo ler performance in terms of mechanical efficiency, electronics efficiency, load lines, temperature stability, self-induced vibrational force reduction , ripple current reduction, and magnetic radiated emission was measured and are reported here. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.