Performance Measurements on a Thermoacoustic Refrigerator Driven at High Amplitudes,
Abstract
Since the power density in a thermoacoustic device is proportional to the square of the acoustic Mach number, there is strong motivation to design thermoacoustic refrigerators to operate at larger pressure amplitudes. Measurements are reported of a modified version of the Space Thermoacoustic Refrigerator (STAR), driven at pressure amplitudes up to 6%. This pressure ratio corresponds to 30 W of cooling power -- five times as large as reported in 1993. The results of these measurements are compared to a DELTAE computer model of the low amplitude (linear) performance that matches experimental conditions on a point-by-point basis. It is found that there is a small but measurable deviation in heat pumping power from the power predicted with a linear acoustic computer model. This deviation in heat pumping power at 6% pressure ratio is about 15%. A large, amplitude independent disagreement in the acoustic power needed to attain a specific pressure ratio is found between measured data and DELTAE results. An overview of the instrumentation, including a measurement of exhaust heat with an absolute accuracy of 65 mW, is also presented.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA347081
Entities
People
- Matthew E. Poese
- Steven L. Garrett
Organizations
- Pennsylvania State University