“Thermoacoustic Refrigeration” 2018-19

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

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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.

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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.

2.1 Early History

Putnam and Dennis, in their review of organ-pipe-combustion-oscillations related
phenomena described the work of Higgins in 1777, who made the first recorded observation of
a Thermoacoustic phenomena when he excited organ pipe oscillations by appropriately
positioning a Hydrogen flame inside a tube. These were also known as“ singing flames”.
For centuries, glass blowers noticed that during glass blowing when a hot glass bulb is
joined to a cold tube, sound is emitted from the tube. Based on this, in1850, Soundhauss
became the first person to do quantitative research on Thermoacoustics when he performed
experiments in a hollow glass tube with one end open and a closed bulb at one end
(Figure2.1).Soundhauss noted that heating the closed end (bulb) produced acoustic oscillations
in the tube in the audible range and the frequency of sound was based on the length of the tube
and the volume of the bulb. He conducted experiments for various tube inner diameters, length
and bulb volume. He also noted that higher heat input caused more powerful sound output.

Figure 2.1: Soundhauss Tube

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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.

Figure 2.2: Rijke Tube

The Soundhauss tube and the Rijke tube are seen as the precursors of the present day
standing wave and travelling wave Thermoacoustic machines, respectively. Feldman reviewed
the work done on Soundhauss and Rijke tubes and concluded that though the geometry of
Soundhauss oscillator could be optimized from the available experimental data and stated that
further work was required to optimize the oscillators. In his work on sound, Lord Rayleigh,
discussed the experiments by Soundhauss and Rijke and qualitatively explained the
Thermoacoustic principle. It can be summarized as the generation of sound waves is
encouraged if the phase between fluid motion and heat transfer to the fluid is appropriate.
When density of the oscillating fluid is highest, it receives heat, and when density of the
oscillating fluid is least, heat is rejected from the oscillating fluid.

2.2 Development of the Thermoacoustic theory

Scientist Taconis arrived at a similar conclusion as Rayleigh when he observed
spontaneous acoustic oscillations, known as “Taconis oscillations”, reaching high amplitudes
when a gas filled tube at room temperatures approaches cryogenic temperatures. Until Kramers

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tried to provide a mathematical explanation to these “Taconis oscillations”, the Thermoacoustic

phenomena had only been qualitatively described. However, Kramers work was mismatch
between theoretical and experimental results due to incorrect assumptions.
Major advances in the understanding of the Thermoacoustic phenomena quantitatively
came with the seminal studies made by Rot. Rott, in a series of papers, developed the theory
behind the Thermoacoustic phenomena; deriving the equations for pressure, motion and time
averaged energy transport, considering the acoustic oscillations in long tubes and varying
diameters (large and small) in relation to the thermal penetration depth of the working fluid.
Rott’s theory has been validated by various studies including Yazaki and Wheatley. Rott’s
theory has also been successfully used to design and predict the performance of
Thermoacoustic devices.
A broad perspective of Thermoacoustic engines and components thereof is given by
Swift. The work included theoretical illustration of the Thermoacoustic concept on a single
plate and extending it to the stack and other parts of the Thermoacoustic engine: heat
exchangers, resonators, etc. Pulse tube refrigerators and Stirling engines is also discussed.
Wheatley carried out extensive work in understanding the thermodynamic aspects of a
Thermoacoustic device by building and carrying out experiments on simple Thermoacoustic
devices. Improved understanding has led to studies including, Thermoacoustics effects on a
single plate where Wetzel and Herman experimentally observed the Thermoacoustic effect
through temperature measurements. They also implemented an evaluation procedure that
accounts for the change in the refractive index due to acoustic pressure variations and measured
the heat fluxes. Studies have also been conducted to experimentally validate numerical studies;
Bailliet conducted acoustic flow measurements using Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) in the
resonator of a Thermoacoustic refrigerator and compared the result to analytical calculations.
Yazaki and Tominaga have conducted experiments to measure the pressure and velocity in an
acoustic resonator. Siddiqui and Nabavi used Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to
experimentally determine planar velocity fields of an acoustic standing wave in a rectangular
channel. At certain locations, their experimental and theoretical results differed by 2.4%.
Babaei and Siddiqui developed a system for optimum design of Thermoacoustic devices
considering different parameters involved.

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CHAPTER 3

BASIC PRINCIPLE OF THERMOACOUSTIC EFFECT

The Thermoacoustic effect acts like a conveyor belt for thermal energy. For this to
occur, one must exploit two physical principles concerning thermodynamics and acoustics
inside the stack. First, through the relation of pressure to temperature by the ideal gas law
PV=nRT, the small changes in pressure caused by sound also cause small changes in
temperature. Secondly, if the gas through which the sound travels is near a solid surface, the
gas may interact by transferring heat to and from it. Combining these two factors, we can create
a four-step process similar to a Carnot cycle. Thermoacoustic cycle consists of four steps.
Figures 3.1-3.4 below show the steps with a piston as the acoustical driver. Suppose there is
gas trapped in a parallel stack of solid plates and there is an acoustic driver that sends a
standing wave through the fluid with a pressure node and anti-node at either end of the stack.
The first step in the Thermoacoustic process is the translational movement and compression of
a packet of gas, adiabatically, in one direction away from the pressure anti-node.

Figure 3.1 : Adiabatic Compression of Gas parcel

In beginning, the gas parcel moves towards the right as shown in Figure 3.1 and the gas
compresses adiabatically.

Figure 3.2 : Isobaric Heat Rejection

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.

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Figure 3.3 : Adiabatic Expansion of Gas parcel

The gas particle Oscillates and moves towards left and Adiabatic expansion takes place
as shown in Figure 3.3

Figure 3.4 : Isobaric Heat Absorption

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.

A schematic P-V-diagram for the Thermoacoustic refrigeration cycle is shown below,

where V is the volume in front of the piston, is shown in below Fig 3.5

Figure 3.5 : P-V Diagram for Thermoacoustic Refrigeration cycle

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CHAPTER 4

PARTS OF THERMOACOUSTIC REFRIGERATOR

There are two main parts

1) Driver
- Houses the loud speaker
2) Resonator
- Houses the gas
-The hot and cold heat exchangers
-Houses the stack

4.1 MOVING COIL LOUD SPEAKER

Figure 4.1:moving coil loud speaker


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.

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4.2 RESONATOR

Figure 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

Figure 4.3: Stack

 
 It is also called as regenerator.
 
 It is the small parallel channels through which pressure and velocity of waves changes.


 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

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
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

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4.4 HEAT EXCHANGER

Figure 4.4: HEAT EXCHANGER

 
 Heat exchangers are devices used to transfer heat energy from one fluid to another.


A heat exchanger is a piece of equipment built for efficient heat transfer from one medium to
 another.

The media may be separated by a solid wall, so that they never mix, or they may be in direct
 contact.

They are widely used in space heating, refrigeration, air conditioning, power plants, chemical
plants, petrochemical
 plants, petroleum refineries, natural gas processing, and sewage
treatment.

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CHAPTER 5

WORKING OF THERMOACOUSTIC REFRIGERATOR

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.

Figure 5.1: Thermoacoustic refrigerator

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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

Figure 5.2: Compression

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.

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5.2 Expansion

Figure 5.3: 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.

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5.3 Exchange of heat

Figure 5.4: Exchange of heat

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.

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CHAPTER 6

MERITS AND APPLICATION

6.1 MERITS

Although the working principle of Thermoacoustic technology is quite complex, the

practical implementation is relatively simple. This offers great advantages with respect to the
economic feasibility of this technology. Other advantages are
1. No moving parts for the process, so very reliable and a long life span.
2. Environmentally friendly working medium (air, noble gas)
3. The use of air or noble gas as working medium offers a large window of applications
because there are no phase transitions.
4. Use of simple materials with no special requirements, which are commercially available
in large quantities and therefore relatively cheap
5. On the same technology base a large variety of applications can be covered. Out of
these, the two distinct advantages of Thermoacoustic refrigeration are that the harmful
refrigerant gases are removed. The second advantage is that the number of moving parts
is decreased dramatically by removing the compressor. It also has fewer moving parts
than its competitors, and so is less likely to break down.Also sonic compression or
sound wave refrigeration uses sound to compress refrigerants which replace the
traditional compressor and need for lubricants. The technology could represent a major
breakthrough using a variety of refrigerants, and save up to 40% in energy. The system
is also an energy saving drop in current compressors, and projected
mass production cost is very low.
The planned system uses sound waves to compress inert Helium gas and extract heat.
The system is potentially much more energy efficient in all applications, as well as non-ozone
depleting and having no global warming potential.
Thermoacoustic refrigeration works best with inert gases such as helium and argon,
which are harmless, non flammable, non toxic, non ozone depleting or global warming and is
judged inexpensive to manufacture.

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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.

e. Cogeneration (combined heat and power): A burner heats a Thermoacoustic engine,

therewith generating acoustic energy. A linear motor converts this energy to electricity. Waste
heat of burner (flue gases) can be used to supply heat.

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.

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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.

In future let us hope these Thermoacoustic devices which promise to improve

everyone’s standard of living while helping to protect the planet might soon take over other
costly, less durable and polluting engines and pumps. The latest achievements of the former are
certainly encouraging, but there are still much left to be done.

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REFERENCES

[1] P. Merkli and H. Thomann, 'Thermoacoustic effects in a resonant tube", J. Fluid Mech.

70. 161 (1975).

[2] J.C. Wheatley, T. Hofler, G.W. Swift, and A. Migliori, "An intrinsically irreversible

thermoacoustic heat engine", J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 74, 153 (1983); "Experiments with an

intrinsically irreversible acoustic heat engine", Phys. Rev. Lett. 50 499 (1983). LE.

Kinsler, A.R. Frey, A.B. Coppens, and J.V. Sanders, Fundamentals of Acoustics Third

Edition, John Wiley and Sons, 1982.

[3] G.W. Swift, "Thermoacoustic engines", J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 84 1145 (1988).

[4] M.P. Susalla, "Thermodynamic Improvements for the Space Thermoacoustic

Refrigerator (STAR)", Master's of Science in Physics (1988); NTIS Report no. AD

A196958.

[5] T.J. Hofler, 'Thermoacoustic Refrigerator Design and Performance", Ph.D.Thesis in

Physics, University of California at San Diego (1986).

[6] A.P Hulst, "Macrosonics in Industry, 2. Ultrasonic welding of metals", Ultrasonics 10

252 (1972).

[7] P.T. Gough and J.S. Knight, "Wide bandwidth, constant beamwidth acoustic projectors:

a simplified design procedure", Ultrasonics 27, 234 (1989).

[8] "Design of matching network for acoustic

transducers", Ultrasonics 26, 59 (1988).

[9] A. Ramos-Fernandez, F. Montoya-Vitini, and J.A. Gallego-Juarez, "Automatic systems

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