Provided is a thermoacoustic refrigerator including an air column pipe, a prime mover, a load, and a heat accumulation tank. An exhaust gas supplied to and discharged from the heat accumulation tank is supplied, as a heat source, to the prime mover disposed inside the air column pipe, so as to cause self-oscillation of a working gas filled in the air column pipe so that sound waves are generated. With the sound waves, the load disposed inside the air column pipe converts sound wave energy into heat energy, so as to output cold heat.

A thermoacoustic device includes a process volume which is filled with a working fluid through which the acoustic wave propagates. The thermoacoustic device further includes an acoustic network comprising a tubular loop configured with a passage providing an opening in the loop and configured as acoustic circuit provided with a compliance volume, a thermo-acoustic core and an inertance volume. Within the loop, the thermoacoustic core is at a first side thereof adjacent to the passage at a first path length through the loop, and at its second side, opposite to the first side, the thermoacoustic core is at a second path length from the passage. The thermoacoustic device includes within the loop a spring-type partitioning element that is configured to close off the cross-section of the tube and to be impermeable for the working fluid while allowing transmission of pressure waves in the working fluid through the spring-type partitioning element.

A thermoacoustic refrigerator includes at least one pair of pulse combustion tubes (10), preferably Rijke tubes, each tube (10) having a pair of spaced-apart Stirling engines (12), coupled together but with no separating membrane therebetween.

Provided is a thermoacoustic refrigerator including an air column pipe, a prime mover, a load, and a heat accumulation tank. An exhaust gas supplied to and discharged from the heat accumulation tank is supplied, as a heat source, to the prime mover disposed inside the air column pipe, so as to cause self-oscillation of a working gas filled in the air column pipe so that sound waves are generated. With the sound waves, the load disposed inside the air column pipe converts sound wave energy into heat energy, so as to output cold heat.

A system includes: a piping with a working gas encapsulated therein and a prime mover and load incorporated in the piping. The prime mover includes a prime mover-side heat accumulator and heat exchangers connected to opposite end portions of the heat accumulator. The load includes a load-side heat accumulator and heat exchangers connected to opposite end portions of the heat accumulator. The piping includes a looped piping portion having a looped shape and a branch piping portion branching from a branching point p in the looped piping portion, and the prime mover is incorporated in the branch piping portion and load is incorporated in the looped piping portion. A blocking film is inserted at a position in a vicinity of the branching point p. Consequently, a thermoacoustic temperature control system that enables enhancement in durability of a blocking film inserted in a part of a looped piping portion is provided.

A thermoacoustic device includes a loop tube in which a working gas is sealed; a stack in which a temperature gradient is generated in a tube axis direction of the loop tube, the stack being provided in the loop tube; and a diaphragm structure including a diaphragm provided in the loop tube and an operation unit, the diaphragm having a surface extending in a direction intersecting the tube axis direction and being configured to vibrate with a component of vibration in the tube axis direction, and the operation unit being configured to apply a physical quantity that is required, to the diaphragm to change a rigidity of the diaphragm in the tube axis direction.

A system includes: a piping with a working gas encapsulated therein and a prime mover and load incorporated in the piping. The prime mover includes a prime mover-side heat accumulator and heat exchangers connected to opposite end portions of the heat accumulator. The load includes a load-side heat accumulator and heat exchangers connected to opposite end portions of the heat accumulator. The piping includes a looped piping portion having a looped shape and a branch piping portion branching from a branching point p in the looped piping portion, and the prime mover is incorporated in the branch piping portion and load is incorporated in the looped piping portion. A blocking film is inserted at a position in a vicinity of the branching point p. Consequently, a thermoacoustic temperature control system that enables enhancement in durability of a blocking film inserted in a part of a looped piping portion is provided.

A thermoacoustic device includes a loop tube in which a working gas is sealed; a stack in which a temperature gradient is generated in a tube axis direction of the loop tube, the stack being provided in the loop tube; and a diaphragm structure including a diaphragm provided in the loop tube and an operating unit, the diaphragm having a surface extending in a direction intersecting the tube axis direction and being configured to vibrate with a component of vibration in the tube axis direction, and the operation unit being configured to apply a physical quantity that is required, to the diaphragm to change a rigidity of the diaphragm in the tube axis direction.

A thermoacoustic device includes a loop pipe, a first stack that is disposed in the loop pipe and that generates a sound wave in the loop pipe by way of a temperature gradient, a second stack that is disposed in the loop pipe and that generates a temperature gradient, a first high temperature side heat exchanger that is disposed at one end of the first stack and that makes the temperature of the one end of the first stack be higher than the other end, and a first low temperature side heat exchanger that is disposed at the other end of the first stack and that makes the temperature of the other end of the first stack be lower than the one end.

A thermoacoustic refrigerator includes at least one pair of pulse combustion tubes (10), preferably Rijke tubes, each tube (10) having a pair of spaced-apart Stirling engines (12), coupled together but with no separating membrane therebetween.