Thermoacoustic refrigerator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11703255-B2
Application number	US-202117356921-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2021
Priority date	Jun 26, 2020
Publication date	Jul 18, 2023
Grant date	Jul 18, 2023

Abstract

Provided is a thermoacoustic refrigerator including an air column pipe, a prime mover, a load, and a heat accumulation tank. An exhaust gas supplied to and discharged from the heat accumulation tank is supplied, as a heat source, to the prime mover disposed inside the air column pipe, so as to cause self-oscillation of a working gas filled in the air column pipe so that sound waves are generated. With the sound waves, the load disposed inside the air column pipe converts sound wave energy into heat energy, so as to output cold heat.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermoacoustic refrigerator comprising:
an air column pipe filled with a working gas;
a prime mover disposed inside the air column pipe and configured to generate sound waves;
a load disposed inside the air column pipe and configured to output cold heat; and
at least one heat accumulation tank having an internal space provided with a heat accumulation body, said at least one heat accumulation tank being connectable to the prime mover,
the prime mover being connected to said at least one heat accumulation tank,
said at least one heat accumulation tank receiving a first heating medium supplied thereto, said at least one heat accumulation tank discharging and supplying, to the prime mover, the first heating medium having undergone heat exchange so that self-oscillation of the working gas is caused and sound waves are generated in the prime mover,
the load being operated by the sound waves thus generated.

2. A thermoacoustic refrigerator comprising:
an air column pipe filled with a working gas;
a prime mover disposed inside the air column pipe and configured to generate sound waves;
a load disposed inside the air column pipe and configured to output cold heat; and
at least one heat accumulation tank having an internal space provided with a heat accumulation body, said at least one heat accumulation tank being connectable to the prime mover,
the prime mover being connected to said at least one heat accumulation tank having received a first heating medium supplied thereto and having accumulated heat therein,
said at least one heat accumulation tank having accumulated the heat therein receiving a second heating medium supplied thereto at a given airflow rate, said at least one heat accumulation tank supplying, to the prime mover, the second heating medium heated as a result of heat exchange so that self-oscillation of the working gas is caused and sound waves are generated in the prime mover,
the load being operated by the sound waves thus generated.

3. The thermoacoustic refrigerator as set forth in claim 2 , wherein
said at least one heat accumulation tank comprises a plurality of heat accumulation tanks that are to be used as a heat source successively in order, and
the thermoacoustic refrigerator further comprises a switching mechanism capable of carrying out switching between the plurality of heat accumulation tanks so that a first one of the plurality of heat accumulation tanks to which the first heating medium is to be supplied and a second one of the plurality of heat accumulation tanks to which the second heating medium is to be supplied are switched to each other.

4. The thermoacoustic refrigerator as set forth in claim 3 , wherein
the switching mechanism includes:
a turning part turnable around a shaft part; and
a driving part configured to turn the turning part, and

the plurality of heat accumulation tanks and the turning part are integrated with each other.

5. The thermoacoustic refrigerator as set forth in claim 4 , wherein
a ratio between areas of openings of the plurality of heat accumulation tanks is set in accordance with a ratio between airflow rates of the first heating medium and the second heating medium.

6. The thermoacoustic refrigerator as set forth in claim 3 , further comprising:
supply piping and exhaust piping with which the first heating medium is caused to pass through the first heat accumulation tank; and
fluid piping and heat source piping with which the second heating medium is caused to pass through the second heat accumulation tank, wherein
the switching mechanism includes:
a plurality of switching valves configured to carry out switching to select which of the plurality of heat accumulation tanks is connected to the supply piping and the exhaust piping and which of the plurality of heat accumulation tanks is connected to the fluid piping and the heat source piping; and
a control part configured to control opening and closing of the plurality of switching valves to carry out switching between the plurality of heat accumulation tanks so that the first one of the plurality of heat accumulation tanks to which the supply piping and the exhaust piping are connected and the second one of the plurality of heat accumulation tanks to which the fluid piping and the heat source piping are connected are switched to each other.

7. The thermoacoustic refrigerator as set forth in claim 6 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor disposed at or near inlets of the plurality of heat accumulation tanks and a temperature sensor disposed at or near outlets of the plurality of heat accumulation tanks, wherein
the control part is further configured to control the plurality of switching valves in accordance with a period of time elapsed after switching, temperatures measured at or near the inlets and the outlets by the temperature sensors, and a temperature difference between the temperatures.

Assignees

• Sintokogio Ltd

Inventors

• Iijima Shinsuke

Classifications

• F25B9/145 Primary

  pulse-tube cycle · CPC title

• F25B41/20

  Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves (expansion valves F25B41/31) · CPC title

• F25B2309/1403

  Pulse-tube cycles with heat input into acoustic driver · CPC title

• F25B2309/1418

  Pulse-tube cycles with valves in gas supply and return lines · CPC title

• F25B2313/001

  with two or more accumulators · CPC title