Patent ID: 6865897

Claim:
A method for providing refrigeration to a refrigeration load comprising: (A) generating refrigeration using a cryocooler and using the refrigeration to condense working fluid in a heat exchanger, withdrawing the condensed working fluid from the heat exchanger, and passing the condensed working fluid back to the heat exchanger wherein it is subcooled by refrigeration generated by the cryocooler; (B) passing the condensed and subcooled working fluid into an evaporator which is at a lower elevation than the heat exchanger, said evaporator comprising a porous wick having a surface, providing a refrigeration load to the evaporator, flowing condensed working fluid onto the wick surface, and evaporating condensed working fluid from the wick surface to provide refrigeration to the refrigeration load and to generate a capillary pumping force; and (C) withdrawing evaporated working fluid from the evaporator, wherein the condensed working fluid is passed to the evaporator at least in part by the capillary pumping force from the evaporation of the condensed working fluid from the wick surface.