Ecological performance optimization of a thermoacoustic cooler

Abstract

Ecological performance optimization of a generalized irreversible thermoacoustic cooler with heat resistance, heat leakage, thermal relaxation and internal dissipation, in which heat transfer between the working fluid and heat reservoirs obeys a complex generalized heat transfer law Q̇ ∝ Δ(Tn), where n is a complex, is investigated in this paper. Both the real part and the imaginary part of the complex heat transfer exponent change the optimal ecological function versus the coefficient of performance (COP) relationship of the thermoacoustic cooler. The analytical formulas about the ecological function and the COP of the thermoacoustic cooler are derived. Furthermore, the comparative analyses of the influences of various factors on optimal performance of the generalized irreversible thermoacoustic cooler are carried out by detailed numerical examples. The optimal zone on the performance of the thermoacoustic cooler is obtained by numerical analysis. The results obtained herein can provide some theoretical guidelines for the design of practical thermoacoustic coolers. © The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.