DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF THERMO ACOUSTIC REFRIGERATOR

In an age of impending energy and environmental crises, current cooling technologies continue to generate greenhouse gases with high energy costs. Thermo acoustic refrigeration is an innovative alternative for cooling that is both clean and inexpensive. Thermo acoustic refrigerators are systems which use sound waves and a non-flammable mixture of inert gases to generate refrigeration effect. The main components are a closed cylinder, an acoustic driver, a porous component called a stack, and two heat-exchangers. Application of acoustic waves through the driver makes the gas resonant. As the gas oscillates back and forth, it creates a temperature difference along the length of the stack. This temperature change is due to compression and expansion of the gas by the sound pressure and the rest is a consequence of heat transfer between the gas and the stack. The temperature difference is used to remove heat from the cold side and reject it at the hot side of the system, producing cooling.