Bansilal Ramnath Agarwal Charitable Trusts

VISHWAKARMA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY PUNE-411037

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University)

2015-16
Mini-Project Report On
THERMOACOUSTIC REFREGERATION
Team Members :
Bipin Sharma (141834)
Arun Verma (141841)

Guided By :
Prof.(Dr.) M.K. Nalawade

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

DISADVANTAGES
VAPOUR COMPRESSION
Require CFC, HCFC, or other ozone harming refrigerants
Increase global warming effect
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

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 or

the air, 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

SCHEMATIC FOR
TAR

ADVANTAGES
The working fluid is typically helium or other inert gases,
and 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.

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, silver, copper or carbon fiber
stack.

THANK YOU