This article introduces a multi-stage heat-driven thermoacoustic cryocooler capable of reaching cooling capacity about 1 kW at liquefied natural gas temperature range without any moving mechanical parts. The cooling system consists of an acoustically resonant double-acing traveling wave thermoacoustic heat engine and three identical pulse tube coolers. Unlike other traditional traveling wave thermoacoustic heat engines, the acoustically resonant double-acting thermoacoustic heat engine is a closed-loop configuration consists of three identical thermoacoustic conversion units. Each pulse tube cooler is bypass driven by one thermoacoustic heat engine unit. The device is acoustically completely symmetric and therefore “self-matching” for efficient traveling-wave thermoacoustic conversion. In the experiments, with 7 MPa helium gas as working gas, when the heating temperature reaches 918 K, total cooling capacity of 0.88 kW at 110 K is obtained with a resonant frequency of about 55 Hz. When the heating temperature is 903 K, a maximum total cooling capacity at 130 K of 1.20 kW is achieved, with a thermal-to-cold exergy efficiency of 8%. Compared to previously developed heat-driven thermoacoustic cryocoolers, this device has higher thermal efficiency and higher power density. It shows a good prospect of application in the field of natural gas liquefaction and recondensation.
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20 July 2015
Research Article|
July 22 2015
A 1 kW-class multi-stage heat-driven thermoacoustic cryocooler system operating at liquefied natural gas temperature range
L. M. Zhang;
L. M. Zhang
a)
1Key Laboratory of Cryogenics,
Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry
, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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J. Y. Hu;
J. Y. Hu
a)
1Key Laboratory of Cryogenics,
Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry
, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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Z. H. Wu;
Z. H. Wu
1Key Laboratory of Cryogenics,
Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry
, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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E. C. Luo;
E. C. Luo
b)
1Key Laboratory of Cryogenics,
Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry
, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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J. Y. Xu;
J. Y. Xu
1Key Laboratory of Cryogenics,
Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry
, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
2College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology,
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
, Beijing, 100049, China
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T. J. Bi
T. J. Bi
1Key Laboratory of Cryogenics,
Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry
, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
2College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology,
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
, Beijing, 100049, China
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L. M. Zhang
1,a)
J. Y. Hu
1,a)
Z. H. Wu
1
E. C. Luo
1,b)
J. Y. Xu
1,2
T. J. Bi
1,2
1Key Laboratory of Cryogenics,
Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry
, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
2College of Materials Science and Opto-Electronic Technology,
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
, Beijing, 100049, China
a)
L. M. Zhang and J. Y. Hu contributed equally to this work.
b)
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: [email protected].
Appl. Phys. Lett. 107, 033905 (2015)
Article history
Received:
May 13 2015
Accepted:
July 14 2015
Citation
L. M. Zhang, J. Y. Hu, Z. H. Wu, E. C. Luo, J. Y. Xu, T. J. Bi; A 1 kW-class multi-stage heat-driven thermoacoustic cryocooler system operating at liquefied natural gas temperature range. Appl. Phys. Lett. 20 July 2015; 107 (3): 033905. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4927428
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