Standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator

Abstract

A standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator is provided. The standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator includes a housing, a porous stack, and a piezoelectric bimorph. The housing comprises a compressible fluid and has a first portion and a second portion. The porous stack is positioned between a hot heat exchanger and a cold heat exchanger within the housing, at an end of the first portion of the housing opposite to an end of the first portion having the porous stack and is capable of oscillating to generate acoustic energy upon receiving energy from an external energy source. The oscillation of the piezoelectric bimorph compresses and expands the compressible fluid within the housing. Whereby, the compressible fluid traverses between the first portion and the second portion through the porous stack to generate standing acoustic waves enabling the compressible fluid to transfer heat from the cold heat exchanger to the hot heat exchanger.

1 . A standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator comprising:
 a housing comprising a compressible fluid, the housing having a first portion and a second portion;   a porous stack configured within the housing, the porous stack positioned between a hot heat exchanger and a cold heat exchanger configured within the housing; and   a piezoelectric bimorph configured at an end of the first portion of the housing opposite to an end of the first portion having the porous stack, the piezoelectric bimorph is capable of oscillating to generate acoustic energy, the piezoelectric bimorph oscillates for compressing and expanding the compressible fluid within the housing upon receiving energy from an external energy source,   whereby the compressible fluid traverses between the first portion and the second portion through the porous stack to generate standing acoustic waves thereby enabling the compressible fluid to transfer heat from the cold heat exchanger to the hot heat exchanger based on the standing acoustic waves.   
     
     
         2 . The standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the external energy source is one of electrical energy and solar energy. 
     
     
         3 . The standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the energy supplied by the external energy source to the piezoelectric bimorph is varied based on a threshold oscillation frequency of the piezoelectric bimorph to develop the standing acoustic waves in the first portion of the housing, the threshold oscillation frequency is associated with resonating frequency of the first portion of the housing. 
     
     
         4 . The standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein temperature of at least one of the hot heat exchanger and the cold heat exchanger is varied to generate the standing acoustic waves in the first portion of the housing. 
     
     
         5 . The standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the porous stack comprises at least one of metal foils, a metal mesh, a sheet of a foamed metal, and sheets of filter paper. 
     
     
         6 . The standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein the compressible fluid is one of air and helium. 
     
     
         7 . The standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein a configuration of the first portion of the housing is one of a straight configuration and an optimally shaped configuration. 
     
     
         8 . The standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein a configuration of the second portion of the housing is one of a straight configuration and an optimally shaped configuration. 
     
     
         9 . The standing wave thermoacoustic piezoelectric refrigerator of  claim 1 , wherein a cross sectional shape associated with at least one of the first portion and the second portion of the housing is one of a circle, a square, a rectangle, and a polygon.