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US 5,813,234 AGranted
Double acting pulse tube electroacoustic system
OwnerHerbert F. Wighardinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A electroacoustic cooling engine comprising a resonator pressure vessel for containing a compressible fluid, a double acting flexural disk centrally located in the resonant pressure vessel, an electromagnetic driver supported outside the vessel for driving the disk from outside the vessel, a thermodynamic element on each side of the disk and a pair of heat exchangers on opposite sides of the thermodynamic element. The electromagnetic driver linearly actuates the disk to cyclically drive a standing acoustic wave on both sides of the disk through each thermodynamic element and heat exchanger pair to generate a desired thermal response in a working fluid flowing through each heat exchanger.
Claims24
A electroacoustic cooling engine for cooling or heating a fluid working load, said engine comprising:
- a vessel for containing a compressible fluid which is capable of supporting an acoustic standing wave having a predetermined wavelength, said vessel having a first volume and a second volume;
- driving means, supported by said vessel, for cyclically driving said compressible fluid to simultaneously generate a first standing acoustic wave in said first volume and a second standing acoustic wave in said second volume;
- thermodynamic means, positioned inside said first volume and said second volume, for thermally and independently responding to said first acoustic standing wave and said second acoustic standing wave so that said first and second acoustic standing wave independently cause heat to be pumped towards said driving means;
- heat conductor means, in thermal communication with said thermodynamic means, for conducting heat away from said thermodynamic means;
- and
- cooling means supported by said vessel for cooling the fluid working load, said cooling means being in thermal communication with said thermodynamic means.
3 more elements
A electroacoustic cooling engine for cooling a fluid working load, said engine comprising:
- a vessel for containing a compressible fluid which is capable of supporting an acoustic standing wave having a predetermined wavelength, said vessel having a first volume and a second volume;
- a driver disk movably secured inside said vessel between said first volume and said second volume;
- means for cycling said driver disk back and forth to simultaneously generate a first standing acoustic wave in said first volume and a second standing acoustic wave in said second volume, said first acoustic standing wave and said second acoustic standing wave having a frequency corresponding to a length of said vessel, said cycling means being partially disposed outside said first and second volumes;
- thermodynamic means, positioned inside said first volume and said second volume, for thermally and independently responding to said first acoustic standing wave and said second acoustic standing wave so that said first and second acoustic standing waves independently cause heat to be pumped towards said driving disk;
- a first heat exchanger disposed in said first volume in thermal communication with said thermodynamic means for conducting heat towards said driver disk;
- a second heat exchange positioned in said second volume, in thermal communication with said thermodynamic means for conducting heat towards said driver disk;
- and
- cooling means supported by said vessel for cooling a working fluid load, said cooling means being in thermal communication with a cold end of said thermodynamic means for cooling a fluid working load.
5 more elements
A electroacoustic cooling engine comprising:
- a pressurized vessel for containing a compressible fluid which is capable of supporting an acoustic standing wave having a predetermined wavelength, said vessel having a first volume and a second volume;
- acoustic driver means for generating a first acoustic standing wave in said first volume and second acoustic standing wave in said second volume at a frequency corresponding to said predetermined wavelength, said first and second standing waves being supported and driven by said acoustic driver means and a compressible fluid at a frequency corresponding to said predetermined wavelength, said acoustic driver means comprising a driver disk being secured and positioned between said first and second volumes, said acoustic driver means being electromagnetically cycled from outside said vessel;
- a first thermodynamic means, positioned inside said first volume, for thermally responding to said acoustic standing wave to cause heat to be pumped from a first end to a second end, thereby thermally isolating said second end from said driver disk, said first end being proximate said driver disk;
- a second thermodynamic means, positioned inside said second volume, for thermally responding to said acoustic standing wave to cause heat to be pumped from a first end to a second end, thereby thermally isolating said second end from said driver disk, said first end being proximate said driver disk;
- at least one heat conductor means, in thermal communication with each of said thermodynamic means, for conducting heat away from said first end of said first and second thermodynamic means;
- and
- at least one cold heat exchanger, in thermal communication with each of said thermodynamic means, so as to cool a fluid working load passing therethrough.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.