High-throughput thermoacoustic device for separation of fluid dynamical mixtures

An apparatus for thermoacoustically separating fluids in a mixture, comprising:

• a flow chamber, wherein the flow chamber comprises an open-circuit component and a closed-flow component connected to the open-circuit component, and wherein the open-circuit component comprises an inflow and an outflow;
• a segmentation grid positioned at the outflow of the open-circuit component, wherein the outflow captures portions of the mixture at a plurality of distinct areas of a cross-section of the outflow;
• a sound system positioned to direct sound into the open-circuit component of the flow chamber;
• a remixer at the closed-flow component of the flow chamber wherein the remixer is configured to churn the mixture within the closed-flow component;
• at least one sensor in the flow chamber;
• and
• a controller connected to the sound system, the remixer, and the at least one sensor, wherein the controller is configured to control the sound system and the remixer from outside of the flow chamber based on an input signal to the controller from the at least one sensor.

A method for separating fluids in a mixture, comprising the steps of:

• receiving into an open-circuit flow chamber a mixture comprising a plurality of separable subcomponents, wherein a desired subcomponent of the plurality of subcomponents is present in the mixture in a first concentration;
• using a sound system comprising a plurality of speakers, directing an acoustic waveform into the open-circuit flow chamber to produce a second concentration of the desired subcomponent in a processed material, wherein the acoustic waveform was generated in a training phase from among a plurality of possible acoustic waveforms;
• and
• separating the processed material into at least one desired output population by directing the processed material through a plurality of pipes positioned at distinct regions of an outflow cross-section of the open-circuit flow chamber.