LOW COST, HIGH FREQUENCY THERMOACOUSTIC REFRIGERATOR AND REFRIGERATION METHODS

摘要

An apparatus includes an acoustic driver (also referred to as a "speaker"), a block resonator array (also referred to as a "resonator array" or "material block"), and a heat exchange assembly. The block resonator array includes a body that defines a set of resonator chambers. Each of the resonator chambers can be (but need not be) formed from multiple resonator volume portions (e.g., a first resonator volume and a second resonator volume). One of the resonator chambers and another of the resonator chambers each share (or are formed, in part, from) a common portion of the body. The heat exchange assembly includes a stack and/or regenerator, a hot heat exchanger, and a cold heat exchanger. The heat exchange assembly is operatively coupled to at least one of the resonator chambers.