SUMMARY

Regenerator is a key component of any cryocooler, which must have high heat capacity, low axial thermal conduction, low friction and high porosity. Traditional approaches such as powders composed of spheres, metal foams, and wire mesh do not satisfy high frequency designs because of their low figure of merit (FOM). In this thesis recent unconventional micro-manufacturing designs are investigated by CFD analysis and experiments. A fast-running and efficient 2D/3D CFD code is developed specifically for the analysis of cryocooler regenerators. Numerical modeling and experiments are also performed on different components of a miniature Stirling cryocooler including the compressor, the regenerator, and the expander, as part of a multi-team effort aimed at the development of a high frequency (> 150Hz) miniature Stirling cryocooler with a cooling capacity of 2W or more at 80K.