Experimental Investigation of a Thermoacoustic Refrigeration System

Thermoacoustic refrigeration is gaining prominence as a green alternative to the traditional cooling devices because of its environmental friendliness. The device generates acoustic waves which compress and expand working gases in a resonator to establish a temperature difference along a stack. Experiments were carried out on the device with a set-up that included an acoustic driver, resonator tube, stack, heat exchanger and temperature measuring instruments. From observations, it was noted that there was a gradual decline in temperatures in the cold region and a corresponding rise in temperatures at the hot region of the stack. This indicates the presence of thermoacoustic heat transfer in the device. Performance depends on various parameters, including frequency of the sound wave, the stack structure and characteristics of the working gas. It is less efficient than the normal refrigerators, but its advantage is that it is simple and maintenance-free.