Two-stage Looped-tube Thermoacoustic Cooler – Design and Preliminary Testing

Design options for a travelling wave thermoacoustic refrigerator have been considered with the view of using it for thermal management of various enclosures/compartments. Acoustic drivers such as loudspeakers or linear motors are essential for such thermoacoustic devices as they enable the conversion of electrical to acoustic power. The theoretical knowledge of how to couple an acoustic driver to thermoacoustic refrigerators or engines efficiently has been illustrated by studying the performance of an acoustic driver when connected to selected types of acoustic networks. A final design comprising a two-stage refrigerator (two thermoacoustic cores in series) driven by two acoustic drivers (model 1S132, available from Q-Drive) has been presented. The experimental setup and instrumentation have been explained. Finally, preliminary characterization of the prototype has been performed.