Thermoacoustic refrigerator
Abstract
A thermoacoustic device having a thermal stack made from a piece of porous material which provides a desirable ratio of thermoacoustic area to viscous area, which has a low resistance to flow, which minimizes acoustic streaming and which has a high specific heat and low thermal conductivity is disclosed. The thermal stack is easy and cheap to form and it can be formed in small sizes. Specifically, in one embodiment, a thermal stack which is formed by the natural structure of a porous material such as reticulated vitreous carbon is disclosed. The thermal stack is formed by machining a block of reticulated vitreous carbon into the required shape of the thermal stack. In a second embodiment, a micro-thermoacoustic device is disclosed which includes a thermal stack made of a piece of porous material such as reticulated vitreous carbon. In another embodiment, a heat exchanger is disclosed which is formed of a block of heat conductive open cell foam material.
- Inventors:
-
- San Mateo, CA
- Issue Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 871165
- Patent Number(s):
- 5673561
- Assignee:
- Regents of University of California (Oakland, CA)
- Patent Classifications (CPCs):
-
F - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING F02 - COMBUSTION ENGINES F02G - HOT GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT ENGINE PLANTS
F - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING F25 - REFRIGERATION OR COOLING F25B - REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- Resource Type:
- Patent
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- thermoacoustic; refrigerator; device; thermal; stack; piece; porous; material; provides; desirable; ratio; viscous; resistance; flow; minimizes; acoustic; streaming; specific; heat; conductivity; disclosed; easy; cheap; form; formed; sizes; specifically; embodiment; natural; structure; reticulated; vitreous; carbon; machining; block; required; shape; micro-thermoacoustic; exchanger; conductive; cell; foam; vitreous carbon; specific heat; cell foam; foam material; porous material; thermal conductivity; heat exchange; heat exchanger; heat conductive; acoustic refrigerator; /62/
Citation Formats
Moss, William C. Thermoacoustic refrigerator. United States: N. p., 1997.
Web.
Moss, William C. Thermoacoustic refrigerator. United States.
Moss, William C. Wed .
"Thermoacoustic refrigerator". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/871165.
@article{osti_871165,
title = {Thermoacoustic refrigerator},
author = {Moss, William C},
abstractNote = {A thermoacoustic device having a thermal stack made from a piece of porous material which provides a desirable ratio of thermoacoustic area to viscous area, which has a low resistance to flow, which minimizes acoustic streaming and which has a high specific heat and low thermal conductivity is disclosed. The thermal stack is easy and cheap to form and it can be formed in small sizes. Specifically, in one embodiment, a thermal stack which is formed by the natural structure of a porous material such as reticulated vitreous carbon is disclosed. The thermal stack is formed by machining a block of reticulated vitreous carbon into the required shape of the thermal stack. In a second embodiment, a micro-thermoacoustic device is disclosed which includes a thermal stack made of a piece of porous material such as reticulated vitreous carbon. In another embodiment, a heat exchanger is disclosed which is formed of a block of heat conductive open cell foam material.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1997},
month = {Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1997}
}