Experimental study on resonant frequency of

the thermoacoustic cooling system

Shin-ichi SAKAMOTO, Hiroyuki HIRANO,
Takashi FUJITA and Yoshiaki WATANABE

Faculty of Engineering, Doshisha University, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0321, JAPAN

Abstract. The purpose of our study is to construct a new cooling system applying the thermoacoustic
effect. Stainless loop-tube is employed as our thermoacoustic cooling system and temperature decrease
of 40 degrees C from the room temperature has been confirmed. In this paper, it is investigated that the
relation between the viscosity boundary layer and the resonant frequency of the generated sound is
investigated. Also, the sound pressure and temperature variation are observed with various total lengths
of the loop-tube, with the view toward improvement in the cooling effect of the thermoacoustic cooling
system. It was generally considered that the sound generated in the thermoacoustic cooling system is
resonated with the tube length by 1 wavelength. However, when the total length of the loop-tube is over
2600 mm and inner pressure is 0.1 MPa, the resonant wavelength is 2. This is resulted from the
influence of the viscosity boundary layer. It is found that the loop-tube decides the resonant frequency
so that the thickness of the viscosity boundary layer is smaller than the stack channel radius. As a result,
the resonant wavelength is 2 in a certain condition. The frequency is an important parameter for the
thermoacoustic cooling system. From obtained results, one of the factors to select the frequency is
found.

Keywords: thermoacoustic cooling system, viscosity boundary layer, resonant frequency

PACS: 43.25.+y, 43.35.+d, 43.90.+v

INTRODUCTION
Recent technical advance has brought about environmental destruction. Cooling
system is appointed as one of the causes of environmental issues. In an existing
cooling system, poisonous cooling media is generally used.
Our studies are intended to construct a new practical cooling system applying the
thermoacoustic effect1). The thermoacoustic effect induces a mutual energy conversion
of the sound energy and the heat energy2)3)4). By applying the thermoacoustic effect, it
will be possible to construct a new epoch-making cooling system with many unique
advantages: effective use of waste heat, no use of poisonous cooling media and no
moving parts.

EXPERIMENTAL
CREDIT LINE (BELOW) TO BE INSERTED ON THE FIRST PAGE OF EACH PAPER
EXCEPTis THOSE
Loop-tube employedPAPERS ON PP. 59 - 62,
as our thermoacoustic 540 - 543,
cooling and
system1)
. 659
The -loop-tube
662
consists of stainless tubes connected by 90 degrees elbows. The total length of the
CP838, Innovations in Nonlinear Acoustics: 17th International Symposium on Nonlinear Acoustics,
edited by A. A. Atchley, V. W. Sparrow, and R. M. Keolian
2006 American Institute of Physics 0-7354-0330-9/06/$23.00
367

CREDIT LINE (BELOW) TO BE INSERTED ONLY ON THE FIRST PAGE OF THE

 loop is 1900, 2600, 3270 and 3970 mm. A block diagram of the loop-tube is shown in
Figure 1. The diameter of the tube is 40 mm and the thickness of tube wall is 5 mm.
Two stacks, stacks 1 and 2, are placed in the loop-tube. Each stack is sandwiched
between heat exchangers. Stack 1 is employed as a prime mover and stack 2 as a heat
pump. A stack is 50mm-long honeycomb ceramic. For stack 1, one 0.45mm-channel-
radius stack is used and for stack 2 one 0.35mm-channel-radius stack is used. Stacks 1
and 2 are placed so that the distance between the stacks is a half of the total length of
the loop-tube. For the heat exchanger A on stack 1, a whorl-shaped electric heater is
used. The electric energy of 330W is supplied to the electric heater. The heat
exchangers B are placed under stack 1 and on stack 2. In the heat exchangers B, there
are copper fins, which are 5 mm in length and 1 mm in thickness. The fins are
maintained at the reference temperature (TR), 18 degrees C, by circulating water. As
working fluid, Air is filled in the loop-tube at 0.1 MPa. Inner pressure is measured
with a pressure gauge (KISTLER 601A).
The temperature at the cooling point under stack 2 is measured at the center axis of
the tube with a K-type thermocouple 1.6 mm in diameter. The measurements of the
temperature and the heat supply are simultaneously started. The heat supply is stopped
800 s later, and in the next 400 s the measurements are continued.

300
Heat Exchanger B Air 0.1Mpa
(T R:Circulating Water) 250
Frequency[Hz]

Stack 2
200
Cooling point
K-type
Pressure gauge
Thermocouple 150

100 Two wave lengths

Heat Exchanger A
(TH:Heater) One wave length
Stack 1 50

0
1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500
Total length of loop-tube[mm]

FIGURE 1. A block diagram of the loop-tube. FIGURE 2. Frequencies of the thermoacoustic

self-sustained sound as a function of total length
of tube.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

40 s after the heat energy is supplied, the self-sustained sound generates in the loop-
tube by the thermoacoustic effect. The sound pressure is over 160 dB. At the same
time, the temperature starts to decrease. The greatest temperature decrease of 4.5
degrees C is observed, when the total loop-tube length is 3270 mm. It is found that
loop-tube length has little influence upon the cooling effect in this experiment
condition.
Figure 2 shows the resonant frequency of the sound generated in the loop-tube. It
was generally considered that the sound generated in the thermoacoustic cooling

368
system is resonated with the loop-tube length by 1 wavelength. As shown in Fig. 2,
however, when the total length of the loop-tube is over 2600 mm, the resonant
wavelength is 2 wavelengths. Under other conditions in this experiment, the
wavelength is 1 and the resonant frequencies are inversely proportional to the total
tube length.
It seems that the resonant frequency depends on the thickness of the viscosity
boundary layer formed in stack 1 of the prime mover.
The thickness of the viscosity boundary layer is represented as follows5):
2
= Formula (1)


= Formula (2)

where is the thickness of the viscosity boundary layer, is dynamic viscosity rate,
is angular frequency, is coefficient of viscosity and is gravity.
Figure 3 shows hypothetical thickness of the viscosity boundary layer, in the
hypothetical condition that the working fluid is Air at 0.1 MPa and the resonant
wavelength is 1 wavelength. RPM in the figure is the channel radius of stack 1 of the
prime mover and RHP is the channel radius of stack 2 of the heat pump. HP is the
thickness of the viscosity boundary layer formed in stack 2 and PM is that in stack 1.
Figure 3 indicates that the thickness of the viscosity boundary layer in stack 1 is
bigger than the stack channel radius of stack 1. In this condition, an influence of the
viscosity is dominant. Viscosity obstructs the energy conversion from the heat into
sound, and the self sustained sound does not generated. To prevent this, the loop-tube,
the system, decides the resonant frequency so that the thickness of the viscosity
boundary layer is smaller than the stack channel radius.
The calculated thickness of the viscosity boundary layer from the observed resonant
frequency is shown in Fig. 4. It is shown in Fig. 2 as observed frequencies that the
resonant wavelength is 1 wavelength when the total tube length is 1900mm, and that
the wavelength is 2 when the tube length is over 2600mm. In the both case, Fig. 4
indicates that the thickness of the viscosity boundary layer in stack 1 is smaller than
the stack channel radius. This is different from Fig. 3. When the thickness of the
viscosity boundary layer is smaller than the stack channel radius, an influence of the
viscosity is not dominant and the sound does generate.
From Fig. 4, it is regarded that an influence of the viscosity boundary layer in stack
2 of the heat pump is little as the thickness of the viscosity boundary layer is quite
smaller than the channel radius of stack 2.

CONCLUSION
In this paper, it is investigated that the relation between the viscosity boundary
layer and the resonant frequency of the generated sound is investigated. It is found that
the loop-tube, decides the resonant frequency by itself so that the thickness of the
viscosity boundary layer is smaller than the stack channel radius. As a result, the

369
 resonant wavelength is 2 in a certain condition. The resonant frequency is an
important parameter to select other parameters of the thermoacoustic cooling system
such as stack channel radius, total loop-tube length, inner pressure etc. From obtained
results, one of the factors to select the frequency is found. And this will induce the
effective energy conversion of the thermoacoustic cooling system.

Viscosity boundary layer at heat pump: 1st Viscosity boundary layer at heat pump: Measured
Viscosity boundary layer at prime mover: 1st Viscosity boundary layer at prime mover: Measured
Radius of stack channel: heat pump Radius of stack channel: heat pump
Radius of stack channel: prime mover Radius of stack channel: prime mover
-4 -4
7x10 7x10
6 6
5 5
Thickness[m]

Thickness[m]
4 4
3
RHP
3
RHP PM RPM
2 2
PM
RPM
1 HP 1 HP
0 R 0 R
1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500
Total length of loop-tube[mm] Total length of loop-tube[mm]

FIGURE 3. Relationship between stack FIGURE 4. Relationship between stack

channel radius and hypothetical thickness of
viscosity boundary layer formed in stacks as a
function of total length of tube. Resonant
wavelength: 1 wavelength(1st), working fluid:
Air at 0.1MPa.
channel radius and calculated thickness of
viscosity boundary layer formed in stacks as a
function of total length of tube. Resonant
wavelength: measured wavelength, working
fluid: Air at 0.1MPa.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was conducted in part under the project of Creation of Intelligent Cluster,
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. This study was
partly supported by a Grant - in - Aid for JSPS Fellows.

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