Thermoacoustic Refrigeration for the Automotive Industry

Luke Zoontjens GradIEAust (luke.zoontjens@mecheng.adelaide.edu.au)

Carl Q. Howard
Anthony C. Zander
Ben S. Cazzolato

School of Mechanical Engineering

The University of Adelaide, South Australia

Using the power of sound, thermoacoustic refrigeration technology could dramatically

reduce the environmental impact and cost of conventional automotive air-conditioning
systems.

Research is being conducted in the School of Mechanical Engineering at the University of

Adelaide on innovative vehicle air-conditioning systems which use thermoacoustic
refrigeration technology.

Thermoacoustic refrigeration is an emerging green technology and thermoacoustic devices

are broadly divided into two distinct classes, but both involve an exchange between acoustic
and thermal energy. In principle, heat engines take heat energy from a hot reservoir, convert
some of the heat energy into acoustic energy and dump the unused heat to a cool reservoir.
Heat pumps use acoustic energy to pump heat from one temperature reservoir to another,
resulting in a temperature gradient between the two reservoirs.

These devices roughly look like sealed tubes, and use the phenomenon of resonant standing
waves to work: sound waves generated inside the tube are reflected to reinforce each other,
producing incredibly high sound levels. The propagation of sound in air causes a dynamic
change in temperature, but for low levels such as in normal conversation, the temperature
change is of the order of thousandths of a degree Celsius. Inside a thermoacoustic refrigerator
however, the sound levels are so much higher, such that significant and useful temperature
changes occur in the operating fluid.

The closed environment and unique conditions under which this phenomenon occurs inside
the device results in exterior sound levels that are no louder than that of conventional vapour-
compression systems of similar size. The working fluid in thermoacoustic systems is typically
helium, a non-combustible, non-poisonous inert gas with zero global-warming or ozone-
depletion potential.

A device consisting of a series of small parallel channels, referred to as a stack, is fixed in

place at a set location inside the tube. In a standing wave thermoacoustic engine, the pressure
and velocity fluctuations through the stack are such that heat is given to the oscillating gas at
high pressure and removed at low pressure; this satisfies Rayleighs criterion for self-
sustained oscillation and by this process heat is converted into acoustic power. For
thermoacoustic pumps, the process is reversed. By using thermal delays in the stack, this
process approximates the highly-efficient Stirling Cycle, but without the cranks, sliding seals
or excess weight found in Stirling engines [1].

The current research at the University of Adelaide involves mating an engine (generator) and
pump (refrigerator) together (Figure 1), such that the thermoacoustic engine converts heat
energy in the vehicle exhaust stream into acoustic power, which is then fed to the pump. This
acoustic power is converted into a high temperature difference across the pump stack, and
return or fresh air flow over the cold side cools fresh or returned air to the vehicle interior.
 Hot Reservoir @ TH Cool Reservoir @ TC
(Hot Exhaust Gas) (Vehicle Interior)

Qexh,H Qint,C

Heat Engine
Wacous Heat Pump

Qexh,0 Qint,0

Warm Reservoir @ T0
(Ambient Air)

Figure 1: Example arrangement of an ideal thermoacoustic heat engine driving an ideal thermoacoustic
heat pump in an automobile.

There are clear benefits to the use of thermoacoustic air-conditioning over current car air-
conditioning systems. Since their inception in the 1930s, typical vehicle air-conditioners use a
form of vapour-compression refrigeration, a well developed and refined technology.
However, these systems are still indirectly harmful to the environment, drawing power from
the engine and using environmentally adverse refrigerants. It is estimated that over 32 billion
litres of fuel is used annually for the operation of vehicle air-conditioners in the US alone [2].
Modern vehicle refrigeration systems use R-134a, a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant
with a global warming potential still 1300 times that of carbon dioxide [3].

Thermoacoustic refrigeration has the potential to virtually eliminate such issues, without
environmentally harmful or toxic working fluids, significant maintenance requirements or
high construction costs. Most importantly though, thermoacoustic refrigeration systems can
be driven using heat as a direct input energy source, removing the need for a compressor and
recouping power otherwise lost to the environment. Roughly only a third of the energy
released from internal combustion engines results in mechanical power, which leaves around
twice as much power released to the environment as heat. In a recent study on a modern
turbocharged diesel engine providing 105kW of power, approximately 120kW of heat power
was present in the exhaust gas stream alone [4].

Compared to current automotive refrigeration systems, thermoacoustic systems are quite

simple and inexpensive to construct, using steel, aluminium or even plastics manufactured to
low tolerances [5]. These devices are expected to weigh no more than equivalent vapour
compression systems, and operate at lower pressures (usually less than half the 2,000kPa of
typical compressors [2]). Although arguably only in development for the last 25 years [6],
thermoacoustic systems are highly capable devices with wide ranging applications: from
electricity generation to liquefaction of natural gas [7], and from cooling of electronics racks
in US Naval warships to onboard the Space Shuttle Discovery [8].

Previous research in thermoacoustics at the University of Adelaide has resulted in the

construction of a demonstration thermoacoustic refrigerator (TAR) [9] capable of operating
on either helium or air (Figure 2). Using a simple loudspeaker, intense sound waves in excess
of 180 decibels of sound pressure are formed inside the refrigerator, maintaining a
temperature 12C below ambient with just 700kPa (7 bars) of compressed air.
 Figure 2: The recently completed thermoacoustic refrigerator (TAR).

Preliminary studies performed at the School of Mechanical Engineering indicate more than
ample levels of thermal energy present in the exhaust gas stream and at high enough
temperatures for thermoacoustic engines to operate, warranting further investigation of the
ATAR as a replacement refrigeration system in automotive applications.

Future studies later this year will also explore the full capabilities of the TAR using helium
gas and significantly higher acoustic power inputs from a thermoacoustic heat engine. The
scalability of the technology means that products resulting from this research could include
tiny coolers for CPUs to combined domestic air-conditioning and hot water services using
solar heat. Such refrigeration systems should produce significantly greater benefits to the
environment and user alike.

This research has been supported by the Mazda Foundation.

References

1. Ceperley, P. 1979, A pistonless Stirling engine the travelling wave heat engine, J.
Acoust. Soc. Am. 66:1508-1513.
2. Johnson, V.H. 2002, Heat-generated cooling opportunities in vehicles, SAE
Technical Paper, 2002-01-1969.
3. Bhatti, M.S. 1999, Enhancement of R-134a automotive air conditioning system, SAE
Technical Paper, 1999-01-0870.
4. Horuz, I. 1999, Vapor Absorption Refrigeration in Road Transport Vehicles, Journal
of Energy Engineering, 125 (2):48-58.
5. Swift, G.W. 1988, Thermoacoustic engines, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 88:1145-1180.
6. Rott, N. 1980, Thermoacoustics, Adv. Appl. Math., 20(135).
7. Wollan, J.J., Swift, G.W., Backhaus, S., and Gardner, D.L. 2002, Development of a
Thermoacoustic Natural Gas Liquefier, Proceedings of AIChE New Orleans Meeting,
New Orleans LA, March 11-14.
8. Garrett, S.L. and Backhaus, S. 2000, The power of sound, American Scientist, 88(6).
9. Arslanagic, A., Brooks, L.A. and Li-Ying, E.C. 2003, Thermoacoustic refrigerator,
Technical Report, School of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Adelaide,
South Australia.