Thermoacoustic Refrigerators and Heat Pumps: New Insights for A High Performance

Abstract

Thermoacoustic refrigerators and heat pumps are considered one of the important emerging green technologies. They are based on the use of acoustic pressure waves to supply cooling or heating effects. The oscillating gas interaction with a solid wall called the stack generates thermoacoustic effects. This study presents the effects of the operating conditions and geometric parameters on the temperature difference across the stack and the coefficient of performance of a thermoacoustic heat pump at different cooling loads. The design steps of these systems were also demonstrated. Theoretical study of the operation conditions and geometric parameters was presented using “DeltaEC”. The results showed that higher harmonics are less desirable for thermoacoustic phenomena as they lower the temperature difference across the stack. Further insights into the effects of amplitude pressure, mean pressure and stack geometries were also demonstrated. This study helps to establish the concepts and design steps for thermoacoustic refrigerators and heat pumps.