CRYOCOOLER PROGNOSTIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• Published in: Advances in Cryogenic Engineering; Volume 53A 2008-01, Vol.53A (985), p.427-436
• Main Authors: Shah, A, Penswick, L, Dodson, C, Roberts, T
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0094-243X
• DOI: 10.1063/1.2908580

High performance sensors are playing an increasingly important role in all aspects of all critical DoD missions. There is a family of sensors that operate with improved sensitivities if cooled to very low (cryogenic) temperatures. For these sensors, a healthy and reliable mechanical refrigeration system (cryocooler) is required. The ability to accurately predict the 'health' or remaining useful life of the cryocooler has significant benefits from the viewpoint of ensuring that mission critical functions can be carried out with a high probability of success. The paper provides an overview and approaches used for the development of a Cryocooler Prognostic Health Management System (CPHMS) capable of assessing the cryocooler 'health' from the viewpoint of the level of performance degradation and/or the potential for near term failure. Additionally, it quantifies the reliable remaining useful life of the cryocooler. While the proposed system is focused on the specific application to linear drive cryocoolers, especially for DoD, many of the attributes of the system can be applied to other specialized system hardware in both commercial and U.S. Government agency for situations where it is critical that all aspects of the hardware 'health' and 'remaining useful life' be fully understood. Several benefits of the health monitoring system are also described in the paper.