ThermoFluidCalc Engineering Report

Thermoacoustic Refrigerator & Cryocooler Analysis (Swift Model) โ€” 2026-10-07 22:20:19
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๐Ÿ”Š Thermoacoustic Stirling Refrigerator

Evaluate thermoacoustic cryocoolers and Stirling refrigerators: acoustic cooling heat lift (Watts), acoustic work input, thermal penetration depth (delta_k), and COP using Swift model.

โšก Fortran 90 Engine Double Precision (IEEE 754) โœ“ ISO / ASME Validated
Thermoacoustic Stirling Refrigerator Thermodynamics
๐Ÿ“Š Solver Telemetry โ— ACTIVE
๐Ÿ‘๏ธ Views 20
โšก Solves 15
๐Ÿ’พ Downloads 435 ๐Ÿ“ฆ Fortran Code 11.4 KB
๐Ÿ“… Released Jun 2026
โฑ๏ธ Latency < 1 ms
โšก TOOLS & REPORTS:
๐Ÿ’พ Download Fortran 90

๐Ÿ”Š Acoustic Resonator Tube & Thermoacoustic Stack Heat Pumping

Real-time visual simulation: Standing acoustic wave oscillating gas parcels across parallel stack plates creating temperature gradient

๐Ÿ“ Configuration & Presets

๐ŸŽˆ Helium Refrigerator (20 bar) ๐Ÿ›ฐ๏ธ Spacecraft He-Xe Cryocooler (150K) โ˜€๏ธ Solar Air Cooler (10 bar) ๐Ÿงช Lab Argon Demo (8 bar)
๐Ÿงช Working Gas & Resonator Acoustics
๐ŸŒก๏ธ Heat Exchanger Temperatures (Kelvin)
๐Ÿ“ Thermoacoustic Stack Dimensions
Swift Thermoacoustic Formulation:
โ€ข Thermal Penetration Depth: ฮดฮบ = โˆš(2 k / (ฯ cp ฯ‰)) [mm]
โ€ข Optimal Stack Spacing: yโ‚€ โ‰ˆ 2 - 4 ฮดฮบ
โ€ข Acoustic Power Work: Wฬ‡โ‚‚ โˆ Astack ยท ฮดฮบ ยท ฯ‰ ยท pโ‚ยฒ / (ฯ aยฒ)
โ€ข Coefficient of Performance: COP = Qฬ‡c / Wฬ‡โ‚‚

๐Ÿ“Š Thermoacoustic Results

๐Ÿ“Š Output Summary
๐Ÿ’พ Fortran Source

Acoustic Cooling Heat Lift (Qฬ‡c)
12.28 Watts
Cooling COP: 12.280 | Acoustic Work: 1.00 W
ฮดฮบ = 0.149 mm
Acoustic Pressure Amplitude 80.0 kPa Drive ratio = 4 %
Thermal Penetration (ฮดฮบ) 0.149 mm Optimal spacing = 0.45 mm
Viscous Penetration (ฮดฮฝ) 0.123 mm Boundary layer loss
Fraction of Carnot COP 188.9 % COPCarnot = 6.50

๐Ÿ“ˆ Acoustic Cooling Lift Q_c (W) vs Drive Ratio D_r (%)

๐Ÿ“‰ Coefficient of Performance (COP) vs Frequency (Hz)

=================================================================
 THERMOFLUIDCALC โ€” THERMOACOUSTIC STIRLING REFRIGERATOR REPORT
=================================================================
Case Title                 : High-Performance Helium Thermoacoustic Refrigerator
Gas & Resonator Properties : Helium (He) โ€” Optimal Speed & Thermal Diffusivity
Acoustic State Parameters  : Mean Press = 20.0 bar, Freq = 120.0 Hz, Drive Ratio = 4.0 % (p1 = 80.0 kPa)
Thermal Boundaries & Stack : Cold Tc = 260.0 K, Hot Th = 300.0 K, Area = 30.0 cm2, Length = 8.0 cm
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ACOUSTIC COOLING LIFT (Qc) : 12.280 Watts
ACOUSTIC POWER INPUT (W2)  : 1.000 Watts
COEFFICIENT OF PERF (COP)  : 12.2800 (188.9% of Carnot COP = 6.50)
Thermal Penetration (delta): 0.1493 mm (Optimal plate half-gap = 0.448 mm)
Viscous Penetration (delta): 0.1227 mm
=================================================================

๐Ÿ“˜ Calculation Methodology & Thermoacoustic Standards

Thermoacoustic Heat Pumping Effect

Oscillating gas parcels experience cyclical compression, displacement, and thermal relaxation with the solid stack wall, pumping heat from the cold heat exchanger (CHX) toward the hot heat exchanger (HHX).

No Moving Parts & Noble Gas Operation

Eliminates pistons, valves, and synthetic fluorinated refrigerants. Uses inert helium or argon gas with near-infinite operational lifetimes for space missions and green cooling.

Key Engineering Assumptions

  • Linear Rott acoustic standing-wave approximation ($D_r \le 10\%$).
  • Short-stack approximation with parallel plate stack matrix.
  • Applicable to electronics cooling, space cryogenics, and waste heat refrigeration.