INDEPENDENT PROJECT

Project Title

THERMO-ACOUSTIC
REFRIGERATOR

REFRIGERATION

Refrigeration is a process in which work is

done to move heat from one location to
another.
Uses of Refrigeration :
Industrialuses
Air conditioning
Food storage and distribution
Medical applications

CURRENT REFRIGERATION
METHODS

VAPOUR COMPRESSION

VAPOUR
ABSORPTION

DISADVANTAGES

VAPOUR COMPRESSION
Require CFC, HCFC, or other ozone harming refrigerants
Increase global warming effect
Loud/noisy
Typical efficiency is 40-55% of Carnot limit
Moving parts and intricate design
Prone to breakdown

VAPOUR ABSORPTION
Requires large heat source
Can't use electricity directly
Require CFC, HCFC, or other ozone harming refrigerants
Increase global warming effect
Inefficient

THERMOACOUSTIC
REFRIGERATOR

A thermo-acoustic refrigerator (TAR) is a refrigerator that

uses sound waves in order to provide the cooling.
In a TAR, the working fluid is a helium-argon mixture, and
the compressor is replaced by a loudspeaker.

WORKING PRINCIPLE
Pressure variations in sound wave are accomplished by
temperature change due to particle oscillations in the gas.
For a single medium average temperature at that
particular location does not change. When a second
medium is present heat is exchanged with it and an
expanded particle will take heat from it and compressed
particles will reject heat to the second medium.

SCHEMATIC FOR TAR

ADVANTAGES

The working fluid is typically helium or other inert, benign

gases such as air which are environment-friendly unlike

common refrigerants.
The simplicity of the design makes it robust, small,
and lightweight.
It has almost no moving parts, which translates into a
longer working life with fewer repairs. In turn, this
makes the system less expensive.
The loudspeaker is TARs only moving part which is more
durable than a compressor.
It has the ability to attain a higher level of the limiting
Carnot efficiency than current refrigeration methods.

DISADVANTAGES
The downside of the TAR is that these failed to achieve

efficiencies as high as those of standard refrigerator units.

The coefficient of performance of most advanced TAR is only 1
when compared to 3-4 of modern refrigerators.
Another major problem of TAR is that it is either fully on or off.
It leaked an incredible amount of sound that causes ear pain
but produces only a small temperature gradient.
These refrigerators were able to cool the air for a short amount
of time before the cooled air started raising its temperature.
very much essengerators have failed to achieve efficiencies as
high as those as standard refrigeration units.

IMPROVEMENTS
Insulate the sound leaks by isolating the system.
Replace the closed cap with a speaker to increase the efficiency

by co-generation.
If both ends of a stack are connected to a heat exchangers thus
coupling the stack to a heat source and sink, the transfer of heat
would be more efficient.
Use conductive material for hot section of resonator
Widen the resonator and use a cone to reduce the losses due to
rapid area change.
More practical and efficient reliable temperature sensors such
as thermistors should be used.
The composition of stack material may also be changed to any
conducting materials like gold,silveror copper.