Investigation On Thermoacoustic Engine For Refrigration Operating At Ambient Temperature

Thermoacoustic engines convert heat energy into mechanical work in form of pressure oscillation, based on thermoacoustic effect. They have the merits of simple configuration, stable running, environment benignity, and they could make use of low-grade energy. Such a thermoacoustic engine system also appears attractive and promising for refrigeration at ambient temperature.Our present work focuses on a thermoacoustic engine for ambient thermoacoustic refrigeration, mainly including the following work:To simulate the loop part of thermoacoustic engine based on a linear thermoacoustic engine simulation program (DeltaE). Calculation has been conducted to analyze the influence from structural parameters and operating parameters on the performance of engine, such as efficiency and pressure ratio. The appropriate parameters range can be educed from the simulation and optimization can also be made referring to the results from DeltaE simulation.Base on the simulation and experience on other thermoacoustic system, a thermoacoustic engine has been designed and manufactured. Much attention is paid to the structure of heat exchanger and the relative position of key parts. A parallel fin heat exchanger commonly used in air conditioning system is firstly proposed as the cold heat exchangers for thermoacoustic engine. A compound structure including a membrame, buffer volume and jet pump is adopted to suppress streaming in the loop.Finally, a testing system has been designed, which includes temperature and pressure information, for experimental study.