Anisotropic steady-flow hydrodynamic parameters of microporous media applied to pulse tube and Stirling cryocooler regenerators

The hydrodynamic parameters associated with steady longitudinal and lateral (radial) flow of helium in several widely-used pulse tube and Stirling cryocooler regenerator fillers were measured and correlated in this investigation. Pressure drops in test sections packed with regenerator fillers were experimentally measured. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the regenerator test sections and their vicinities were developed and simulations were performed in which the regenerator test sections were modeled as porous media. By iterative repetition of the simulations, the longitudinal and radial permeability and Forchheimer inertial coefficients were determined such that they would lead to agreement between experimental measurements and the simulations. The regenerator fillers included 325 and 400 mesh stainless steel screens, stainless steel metal foam, sintered 400 mesh stainless steel screens, and a stack of micromachined perforated plates. The hydrodynamic response of the regenerator fillers were also correlated as friction factors. The results confirm that the aforementioned regenerator fillers are anisotropic.