Advances in small Joule-Thomson coolers

Abstract

Considerable work has been done on the development of a new type of heat exchanger for Joule Thomson, JT, coolers which is referred to as a matrix-tube heat exchanger. This has permitted coolers to be built that are smaller than conventional finned tube heat exchangers and has made it easier to build multistage and multi circuit heat exchangers. This paper discusses some characteristics of JT cooling and describes a number of different types of heat exchangers along with typical applications. Specific information is given on the size and cooling characteristic of matrix tube type heat exchangers.