CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Thermoacoustic is the branch of science that deals with the study of conversion of
thermal energy into acoustic energy and vice versa. An acoustic wave is, essentially, a pressure
wave that is oscillating in space. Associated with the acoustic wave are temperature
fluctuations, which are an inherent part of the acoustic wave. At larger scales, these
temperature fluctuations are generally negligible, but when the gas travels through small
channels and/or at high pressures, the Thermoacoustic effect becomes quite pronounced. In
fact, this effect if controlled efficiently can be used to build a range of prime movers,
refrigerators and heat pumps.
Over the past two decades, physicists and engineers have been working on a class of
heat engines and compression-driven refrigerators that use no oscillating pistons, oil seals or
lubricants. These so called Thermoacoustic devices take advantage of sound waves
reverberating within them to convert a temperature differential into mechanical energy or
mechanical energy into a temperature differential. Such materials thus can be used, for
example, to generate electricity or to provide refrigeration and air conditioning. Because
Thermoacoustic devices perform best with inert gases as the working fluid, they do not produce
the harmful environmental effects such as global warming or stratospheric ozone depletion that
have been associated with the engineered refrigerants such as CFCs and HFCs. Recent
advances have boosted efficiencies to levels that rival what can be obtained from internal
combustion engines, suggesting that commercial Thermoacoustic devices may soon be a
common place.
The entire features mentioned above is possible only because sound waves in
Thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators can replace the piston and cranks that are typically
built into any machinery. These Thermoacoustic devices produce or absorb sound power, rather
than the shaft power characteristic of rotating machinery making it mechanically simple.
In a nut shell, a Thermoacoustic engine converts heat from a high-temperature source
into acoustic power while rejecting waste heat to a low temperature sink. A Thermoacoustic
refrigerator does the opposite, using acoustic power to pump heat from a cool source to a hot
sink. These devices perform best when they employ noble gases as their
thermodynamic working fluids. Unlike the chemicals used in refrigeration over the years, such
gases are both nontoxic and environmentally benign. Another appealing feature of
Thermoacoustics is that one can easily flange an engine onto a refrigerator, creating a heat
powered cooler with no moving parts at all
The principle can be imagined as a loud speaker creating high amplitude sound waves
that can compress refrigerant allowing heat absorption. The researches have exploited the fact
that sound waves travel by compressing and expanding the gas they are generated in.
Suppose that the above said wave is traveling through a tube. Now, a temperature
gradient can be generated by putting a stack of plates in the right place in the tube, in which
sound waves are bouncing around. Some plates in the stack will get hotter while the others get
colder. All it takes to make a refrigerator out of this is to attach heat exchangers to the end of
these stacks.
It is interesting to note that humans feel pain when they hear sound above 120 decibels,
while in this system sound may reach amplitudes of 173 decibels. But even if the fridge is to
crack open, the sound will not be escaping to outside environment, since this intense noise can
only be generated inside the pressurized gas locked inside the cooling system. It is worth noting
that, prototypes of the technology has been built and one has even flown inside a space shuttle.
CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE SURVEY
Though the Thermoacoustic phenomenon was first observed and studied more than two
hundred years ago, greater understanding of the phenomena has been developed over the past
four decades. The underlying principle and the governing equations were developed resulting
in accelerating the research in this field. In this, a brief review of earlier work and development
of the research in the field is presented.
Another Scientist Rijke, in 1859, discovered that placing a heated wire mesh in the
bottom half of an open tube produced sound waves. The highest intensity was obtained when
the mesh was placed at one-fourth the length of the tube as measured from the bottom. He also
observed that convective transport of air through the tube was necessary to produce the
Thermoacoustic effect. The Rijke tube (Figure 2.2)is an extension of Higgins work.
CHAPTER 3
In beginning, the gas parcel moves towards the right as shown in Figure 3.1 and the gas
compresses adiabatically.
Then, Isobaric heat rejection takes place from gas parcel to wall of stack as shown in
above Figure 3.2 as the temperature of gas parcel is greater than that of heat exchanger placed.
The gas particle Oscillates and moves towards left and Adiabatic expansion takes place
as shown in Figure 3.3
The temperature of expanded gas parcel is so low that, Isobaric heat absorption takes
place from heat exchanger as shown in above Figure 3.4. And same process repeats until the
objective is achieved.
CHAPTER 4
A loudspeaker (or "speaker") is an electro
response acoustic transducer that produces sound in
to an electrical audio signal input.
It was invented in the mid 1820’s by the scientist Johann Philipp Reis.
It is powered by electricity.
The magnet or the coil in the speaker vibrates to produce the waves of required frequency.
4.2 RESONATOR
The resonator contains stack, gas and the heat exchanger.
So it typically takes heat from the
cold heat exchanger and deposits it to the hot heat
exchanger and other stack locations
4.3 STACK
The stack consists of a large number of closely spaced surfaces that are aligned
parallel to the to the resonator tube
In a usual resonator tube, heat transfer occurs between the walls of cylinder and the gas
However, since the vast majority of the molecules are far from the walls of the chamber
the gas particles cannot exchange
heat with the wall and just oscillate in place, causing
no net temperature difference.
The purpose of the stack is to provide a medium where the walls are close enough so
That each time a packet of gas moves, the temperature differential is transferred to the
wall of the stack.
Most stacks consist of honeycombed plastic spacers that do not conduct heat throughout
The stack but rather absorb heat locally. With this property, the stack can temporarily
absorb the heat transferred by the sound waves.
The spacing of these designs is crucial.
If the holes are too narrow, the stack will be difficult to fabricate, and the viscous
Properties of the air will make it difficult to transmit sound through the stack.
will be able to transfer heat to the walls of
If the walls are too far apart, then less air
the stack, resulting in lower efficiency.
The different materials used in the Stack are
Paper
Aluminum
Lexan
CHAPTER 5
Acoustic or sound waves can be utilized to produce cooling. The pressure variations in
the acoustic wave are accompanied by temperature variations due to compressions and
expansions of the gas. For a single medium, the average temperature at a certain location does
not change. When a second medium is present in the form of a solid wall, heat is exchanged
with the wall. An expanded gas parcel will take heat from the wall, while a compressed parcel
will reject heat to the wall.
As expansion and compression in an acoustic wave are inherently associated with a
displacement, a net transport of heat results. To fix the direction of heat flow, a standing wave
pattern is generated in an acoustic resonator. The reverse effect also exists: when a large
enough temperature gradient is imposed to the wall, net heat is absorbed and an acoustic wave
is generated, so that heat is converted to work.
The principle may find applications in practical refrigerators, providing cooling, heat
engines providing heat or power generators providing work. A great advantage of the technique
is that there are no or only one moving part, in the cold area, which results in high reliability
and low vibration levels. Also the use of inert gases make them environmentally safe and hence
more in demand.
The unit basically consists of an inner and outer chamber filled with an environmental
friendly gas like helium. And a loud speaker (that can produce sound up to 195 decibels around
60Hz of frequency) is attached at the bottom of the outer chamber whose wall acts like an
accordion. The inner chamber has a moveable membrane at its bottom and a “stack of metal
screens” (which is a porous solid with many open channels through which the gas can pass) at
its top. The loud speaker is powered to move up and down, compressing and expanding the
outer chamber this movement is carefully timed so as to create a resonance between the two
chambers. Basically this creates a tremendous pressure waves using very small but very fast
piston movements.
5.1Compression
When the loud speaker fully compresses the unit, the helium pressure in the inner
chamber is now higher & the gas molecules are forced up the metal screen stack and the overall
helium pressure is increased so the gas molecules are compressed to smaller than normal size.
Since they compress they heat up and the heat is absorbed by the metal screens.
5.2 Expansion
When the loud speaker completely expands the unit the helium pressure is lowered in
the inner chamber and so the gas molecules move down through the metal screen stack and the
overall helium pressure is decreased so the gas molecules expand to larger than normal size.
Thus gas molecules gets cooled down and the heat transfers from the metal screens to helium.
In a short amount of time the upper end of the metal screens (a porous solid with many
open channels through which the gas can pass) becomes very hot and the lower end becomes
very cold. Now liquids can be pumped at both ends of each stack. The liquid passing by the
cold end passes through freezer keeping the freezer cool. And the liquid passing through the
hot end is passed over the exhaust fan.
CHAPTER 6
6.1 MERITS
6.2APPLICATIONS
Speaking of its practical applicability, prototype of Thermoacoustic refrigerators have
operated on the Space Shuttle and abroad a Navy warship. And a powerful Thermoacoustic
engine has recently demonstrated its ability to liquefy natural gas on a commercial scale. In
practice there is a large variety of applications possible for both Thermoacoustic engines and
refrigerators and combination of these. Below, some concrete examples are given of possible
applications:
a. Liquefaction of natural gas: Burning natural gas in a Thermoacoustic engine generates
acoustic energy. This acoustic energy is used in a Thermoacoustic heat pump to liquefy natural
gas.
b. Chip cooling: In this case a piezoelectric element generates the sound wave. A
Thermoacoustic heat pump cools the chip.
c. Electronic equipment cooling on naval ships: In this application, a speaker generates sound
waves. Again a Thermoacoustic pump is used to provide the cooling.
d. Electricity from sunlight: Concentrated thermal solar energy generates an acoustic wave in a
heated Thermoacoustic engine. A linear motor generates electricity from this.
f. Upgrading industrial waste heat: Acoustic energy is created by means of industrial waste heat
in a Thermoacoustic engine. In a Thermoacoustic heat pump this acoustic energy is used to
upgrade the same waste heat to a useful temperature level. Though it probably won’t be useful
for car air conditioning systems any time soon since they are too bulky and heavy, it may prove
useful for niche applications, such as cooling satellite sensors or super fast computers. In
addition to being useful on shipboard, this technology could be adapted for soft drink
machines, medicine storage, computer chips and food transport companies.
CONCLUSION
Thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators were already being considered a few years ago
for specialized applications, where their simplicity, lack of lubrication and sliding seals, and
their use of environmentally harmless working fluids were adequate compensation for their
lower efficiencies. This latest breakthrough, coupled with other developments in the design of
high power, single frequency loud speakers and reciprocating electric generators suggests that
Thermoacoustics may soon emerge as an environmentally attractive way to power hybrid
electric vehicles, capture solar energy, refrigerate food, air condition buildings, liquefy
industrial gases and serve in other capacities that are yet to be imagined.
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Kinsler, A.R. Frey, A.B. Coppens, and J.V. Sanders, Fundamentals of Acoustics Third
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