Thermo Acoustic Refrigeration

THERMO ACOUSTIC
REFRIGERATION
Presented by,
Abijith S
M7A
Roll no:5
INTRODUCTION
• Thermo acoustic devices take advantage of sound waves
reverberating within them to convert a temperature
differential into mechanical energy or mechanical energy
into a temperature differential.
• Thermo acoustic devices perform best with inert gases.
• They do not produce the harmful environmental effects
such as global warming or stratospheric ozone depletion.
WORKING OF REFRIGERATION
• The compressor compresses the low pressure refrigerant
vapour into high pressure refrigerant vapour.
• The condenser removes heat from the refrigerant, it
changes state into high pressure liquid.
• Metering devices are small thin copper tubes (thermal
expansion devices).
• It regulates the amount of refrigerant going into the
evaporator.
• The evaporator absorbs the heat in the system, the low
pressure liquid changes into low pressure gas.
• The low pressure vapour pulled into the compressor and
the cycle starts over.
DISADVANTAGES OF
CONVENTIONAL REFRIGERATOR
• Uses harmful refrigerants like ammonia, CFC’s

• Refrigerants if leaked causes the depletion in the ozone
layers.
• Refrigerants are costly.
• The moving parts like the compressors require
lubrication.
• Leakage of refrigerant may result in adverse human health
effects including cancers, immune system deficits, and
respiratory effects.
BASICS OF THERMO ACOUSTIC
REFRIGERATION
• Thermo acoustics combines the branches of acoustics and
thermodynamics together to move heat by using sound.
• While acoustics is primarily concerned with the
macroscopic effects of sound transfer like coupled
pressure and motion oscillations, thermo acoustics
focuses on the microscopic temperature oscillations that
accompany these pressure changes.
• Thermo acoustics takes advantage of these pressure
oscillations to move heat on a macroscopic level.
• This results in a large temperature difference between the
hot and cold sides of the device and causes refrigeration.
CONSTRUCTION
• Resonance tube
• Acoustic loud speaker
• Regenerator stack
• Heat exchanger
RESONANCE TUBE
• The purpose of the resonance tube in a TAR is to contain the
working fluid and to cause it to have a desired natural
frequency.
ACOUSTIC LOUD SPEAKER:

• A loudspeaker is an electro acoustic transducer that
produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal
input.
• The magnet or the coil in the speaker vibrates to produce the
waves of required frequency.
REGENERATOR STACK:
• The stack consists of a large number of closely spaced
surfaces that are aligned parallel to the resonator tube.
• 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.
HEAT EXCHANGER:
• Heat exchangers are devices used to transfer heat energy
from one fluid to another.
• The media maybe separated by a solid wall, so that they
never mix.
WORKING
• The principle can be imagined as a loud speaker creating
high amplitude sound waves that can compress refrigerant
allowing heat absorption.
• 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.
MERITS OF TAR
• No moving parts for the process, so very reliable and a
long life span.
• Environmentally friendly working medium (air, noble
gas). Works best with inert gases such as helium and
argon which are non toxic, non ozone depleating.
• Use of simple materials with no special requirements,
which are commercially available in large quantities and
therefore relatively cheap.
• The technology could represent a major breakthrough
using a variety of refrigerants, and save up to 40% in
energy.
DEMERITS OF TAR
• Thermo acoustic refrigeration is currently less efficient
than the traditional refrigerators.
• Lack of interest and funding from the industry due to
their concentration on developing alternative gases to
CFCs.
• Lack of suppliers producing customized components.
IMPROVEMENTS MADE TO OVERCOME THE
DRAWBACKS
• In order to improve the efficiency, regenerators are used.
The function of a regenerator is to store thermal energy
during part of the cycle and return it later. This
component can increase the thermodynamic efficiency
to impressive levels.
CONCLUSION
• Thermo acoustic engines and refrigerators were already
being considered a few years ago for specialized
applications.
• Their simplicity, lack of lubrication and sliding seals, and
their use of environmentally harmless working fluids
were adequate compensation for their lower efficiencies.
• In future let us hope these thermo acoustic 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.

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THERMO ACOUSTIC

• Uses harmful refrigerants like ammonia, CFC’s

ACOUSTIC LOUD SPEAKER:

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