Perforated plates for cryogenic regenerators and method of fabrication

Patent · Tue Mar 29 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:5017795

Hendricks, J B

Perforated plates having very small holes with a uniform diameter throughout the plate thickness are prepared by a [open quotes]wire drawing[close quotes] process in which a billet of sacrificial metal is disposed in an extrusion can of the plate metal, and the can is extruded and restacked repeatedly, converting the billet to a wire of the desired hole diameter. At final size, the rod is then sliced into wafers, and the wires are removed by selective etching. This process is useful for plate metals of interest for high performance regenerator applications, in particular, copper, niobium, molybdenum, erbium, and other rare earth metals. Er[sub 3]Ni, which has uniquely favorable thermophysical properties for such applications, may be incorporated in regions of the plates by providing extrusion cans containing erbium and nickel metals in a stacked array with extrusion cans of the plate metal, which may be copper. The array is heated to convert the erbium and nickel metals to Er[sub 3]Ni. Perforated plates having two sizes of perforations, one of which is small enough for storage of helium, are also disclosed. 10 figures.

• DOE Contract Number: FG05-90ER81018
• Assignee: Alabama Cryogenic Engineering, Inc., Huntsville, AL (United States)
• Patent Number(s): US 5298337; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-800220
• OSTI ID: 5017795
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661210* -- Cryogenics-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALLOYS
CRYOGENICS
DESIGN
ELEMENTS
ERBIUM ALLOYS
FABRICATION
FLUIDS
GASES
HELIUM
NICKEL ALLOYS
NONMETALS
PLATES
RARE EARTH ALLOYS
RARE GASES
REGENERATORS