Acoustical heat pumping engine
OwnerJohn C. Wheatley, Gregory W. Swift +1inventors
InventorsJohn C. Wheatley, Gregory W. Swift, Albert Migliori
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Abstract
The disclosure is directed to an acoustical heat pumping engine without moving seals. A tubular housing holds a compressible fluid capable of supporting an acoustical standing wave. An acoustical driver is disposed at one end of the housing and the other end is capped. A second thermodynamic medium is disposed in the housing near to but spaced from the capped end. Heat is pumped along the second thermodynamic medium toward the capped end as a consequence both of the pressure oscillation due to the driver and imperfect thermal contact between the fluid and the second thermodynamic medium.
Claims10
An acoustical heat pumping engine having no moving seals comprising:
- a housing essentially resonant at a selected frequency having first and second ends;
- means for capping said first end of said housing;
- a compressible fluid capable of supporting an acoustical standing wave disposed within said housing;
- means for providing a selected pressure to said fluid within said housing;
- means disposed at said second end of said housing for cyclically driving said fluid with an acoustical standing wave substantially at said selected frequency;
- and
- a second thermodynamic medium disposed within said housing near to but spaced from said capping means, whereby energy continually flows toward said capping means when said engine operates.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.