Refrigeration system having standing wave compressor

A refrigerant compressor comprising:

• a standing wave compressor which receives, acoustically compresses, and discharges a refrigerant;
• one or more heat pumping surfaces, said one or more heat pumping surfaces being exposed to a standing acoustic wave existing within said standing wave compressor, the standing acoustic wave creating a temperature differential along said one or more heat pumping surfaces, such that said one or more heat pumping surfaces develops a cold end and a hot end;
• cold end heat exchanger means for providing thermal contact between a refrigerant and the cold end of said one or more heat pumping surfaces;
• hot end heat exchanger means for providing thermal contact between a heat sink and the hot end of said one or more heat pumping surfaces.

A compression-evaporation cooling system comprising:

• a standing wave compressor which receives, acoustically compresses, and discharges a refrigerant;
• one or more heat pumping surfaces, said one or more heat pumping surfaces being exposed to a standing acoustic wave existing within said standing wave compressor, the standing acoustic wave creating a temperature differential along said one or more heat pumping surfaces, such that said one or more heat pumping surfaces develops a cold end and a hot end;
• cold end heat exchanger means for providing thermal contact between a refrigerant and the cold end of said one or more heat pumping surfaces;
• hot end heat exchanger means for providing thermal contact between a heat sink and the hot end of said one or more heat pumping surfaces;
• a refrigerant condenser;
• a refrigerant evaporator;
• refrigerant metering means for controlling the flow of said refrigerant from said cold end heat exchanger means into said refrigerant evaporator;
• first conduit means for connecting said standing wave compressor to said refrigerant condenser;
• second conduit means for connecting said refrigerant condenser to said cold end heat exchanger means;
• third conduit means for connecting said cold end heat exchanger means to said refrigerant metering means;
• fourth conduit means for connecting said refrigerant metering means to said refrigerant evaporator;
• fifth conduit means for connecting said refrigerant evaporator to said standing wave compressor.

A compression-evaporation cooling method comprising the steps of:

• (a) acoustically compressing and discharging a refrigerant using a standing wave compressor;
• (b) positioning one or more heat pumping surfaces such that the heat pumping surfaces are exposed to a standing acoustic wave which exists within the standing wave compressor, and such that the standing acoustic wave creates a temperature differential along the one or more heat pumping surfaces to cause the one or more heat pumping surfaces to develop a cold end and a hot end;
• (c) placing a cold end heat exchanger in thermal contact with the cold end of the one or more heat pumping surfaces, such that a refrigerant flowing through the cold end heat exchanger will give up heat to the one or more heat pumping surfaces;
• (d) placing a heat sink in thermal contact with the hot end of the one or more heat pumping surfaces, such that the hot end of the one or more heat pumping surfaces will give up heat to the heat sink means;
• (e) connecting a discharge port of the standing wave compressor to the input of a refrigerant condenser by way of a first conduit;
• (f) connecting the output of the refrigerant condenser to the input of the cold end heat exchanger by way of a second conduit;
• (g) connecting the output of the cold end heat exchanger to the input of a liquid refrigerant meter by way of a third conduit;
• (h) connecting the output of the liquid refrigerant meter to the input of a refrigerant evaporator by way of a fourth conduit;
• and
• (i) connecting the output of the refrigerant evaporator to a suction port of the standing wave compressor by way of a fifth conduit so that the standing wave compressor motivates the refrigerant through a compression-evaporation refrigeration cycle, as well as continually cooling the refrigerant before the refrigerant enters the refrigerant evaporator.

A compression/evaporation cooling system comprising:

• a standing wave compressor for compressing a refrigerant by creating a standing acoustic wave which produces a temperature differential along said standing wave compressor, so that a first portion of said standing wave compressor is at a temperature which is higher than a second portion of said standing wave compressor;
• a refrigerant condenser, coupled to said standing wave compressor, for condensing the compressed refrigerant;
• a heat exchanger, coupled to said refrigerant condenser and to said standing wave compressor adjacent said second portion of said standing wave compressor, said heat exchanger providing thermal contact between the condensed refrigerant and the second portion of said standing wave compressor;
• and
• a refrigerant evaporator, coupled to said heat exchanger and said standing wave compressor, for evaporating the condensed refrigerant provided by said heat exchanger and for providing the evaporated refrigerant to said standing wave compressor.