3. A few examples of applications

Cryorefrigerators are designed to cool objects or liquefy gases. To this end, they must ultimately be integrated into systems. The design of this integration, in particular the way in which they are thermally and mechanically coupled, is very important to minimize thermal gradients at the interface, and to take into account maintenance aspects or any other application-specific constraints. Different types of coupling can be envisaged:

• direct mechanical coupling of the cold finger to the object to be cooled. This option, which is simple to implement and thermally efficient, can pose maintenance problems in situ without heating up the system;

• immersion of the thermal load in a refrigerant that ensures excellent thermal contact (boiling without calefaction if the exchange surface is sufficient). The cryocooler...