A compromise between the temperature
difference and performance in a standing
wave thermoacoustic refrigerator
Item Type Article
Authors Alamir, M.A.; Elamer, Ahmed A.
Citation Alamir MA and Elamer AA (2018) A compromise between the
temperature difference and performance in a standing wave
thermoacoustic refrigerator. International Journal of Ambient
Energy. Accepted for publication.
Rights © 2018 Taylor & Francis. The Version of Record of
this manuscript has been published and is available
in International Journal of Ambient Energy https://
doi.org/10.1080/01430750.2018.1517673.
Download date 09/08/2022 16:58:05
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International Journal of Ambient Energy
ISSN: 0143-0750 (Print) 2162-8246 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/taen20
A compromise between the Temperature
Difference and Performance in a Standing Wave
Thermoacoustic Refrigerator
Mahmoud Alamir & Ahmed A. Elamer
To cite this article: Mahmoud Alamir & Ahmed A. Elamer (2018): A compromise between the
Temperature Difference and Performance in a Standing Wave Thermoacoustic Refrigerator,
International Journal of Ambient Energy
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/01430750.2018.1517673
Accepted author version posted online: 29
Aug 2018.
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1
Publisher: Taylor & Francis & Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
Journal: International Journal of Ambient Energy
DOI: 10.1080/01430750.2018.1517673
A compromise between the Temperature Difference and
Performance in a Standing Wave Thermoacoustic Refrigerator
Keywords: DeltaEC; Performance; Refrigeration; Thermoacoustics; Temperature difference.
Highlights
A theoretical DeltaEC model of a standing wave thermoacoustic refrigerator is built.
Compromised values for the geometric parameters and operating conditions are
collected.
The physical description of the performance and the temperature difference change
behavior is presented.
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Abstract
Thermoacoustic refrigeration is an evolving cooling technology where the acoustic power is
used to pump heat. The operating conditions and geometric parameters are important for the
thermoacoustic refrigerator performance, as they affect both its performance and the
temperature difference across the stack. This paper investigates the effect of the stack
geometric parameters and operating conditions on the performance of a standing wave
thermoacoustic refrigerator and the temperature difference across the stack. DeltaEC software
is used to make the thermoacoustic refrigerator model. From the obtained results, normalised
values for the operating conditions and geometric parameters are collected to compromise
both the performance and the temperature difference across the stack.
1. Introduction
Thermoacoustic refrigeration is a developing cooling technology. It has many positives over
other alternative refrigeration technologies, as it uses environment friendly working gases, the
cooling capacity is continuously controlled, the design is simple, and it can operate quietly [1–
3]. This cooling technology is now in the research and development process, and it is expected
for noticeable spread commercially [4].
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Thermoacoustic refrigeration uses the vibrational sound pressure waves. The heat is pumped
from low temperature source to high temperature sink by the sound waves. Fig. 1 shows a
typical standing wave thermoacoustic refrigerator. The function generator and the amplifier
feed the signal to the acoustic driver, and transmit the required frequency and power into the
resonator. Following this, the wave through the resonator produces hot and cold temperature
regions due to the high and low-pressure areas distribution across the resonator. The stack
which has low thermal conductivity separates the hot and cold areas inside the resonator, and
two heat exchangers are bounded the stack for heat transfer.
Insert Fig. 1 about here.
The temperature difference is a key parameter in refrigeration area, as a large temperature
difference may be required in some applications that need low temperatures. This can be on
the expense of the performance or even the obtained cooling loads. Further, the operating
conditions and geometric parameters of thermoacoustic refrigerators can have an influence on
both the temperature difference across the stack and the consumed acoustic power. Therefore,
the operating conditions and the geometric parameters should be compromised to give a
desired temperature difference across the stack with a high performance.
Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in optimizing thermoacoustic
refrigerators. A number of researchers have reported design and optimization algorithms for
the thermoacoustic devices. Wetzel and Herman [5] developed an algorithm for
thermoacoustic refrigerators. The total acoustic power was introduced as follows,
(1)
