dasa Posted December 11, 2002 Report Share Posted December 11, 2002 Sound Waves May Replace Refrigerants By Katrina Woznicki UPI Science News 12-4-2 CANCUN, Mexico (UPI) -- Scientists said Wednesday they have developed technology that converts sound waves into refrigeration, which could lead to more environmentally efficient household and industrial products. The research team, led by Steven Garrett, professor of acoustics at Pennsylvania State University in College Park, said the thermoacoustics process could be a viable alternative to chemical refrigerants. Thermoacoustics can work both ways, by removing heat or adding heat. Scientists used tweaked loudspeakers to create high amplitude sound waves in the air. The amplitude levels were far higher than those at rock concerts, where the decibel level is around 120. At 165 decibels, the sound level is so intense the friction could set fire to hair as gas undergoes such huge acoustic undulations. The study was funded by ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's and Unilever, its parent company, and presented Wednesday at the First Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics in Cancun. The U.S. Department of Energy and the Navy have tested the potential of thermoacoustics. The thermoacoustic system managed to bring cooling temperatures down to 8 degrees below zero, well below the freezing point. "The thermoacoustic refrigeration machine we are developing for Ben & Jerry's (ice cream) would be just about what you would want for use in a home food refrigerator/freezer," Garrett said. Ganesh Raman, an associate professor in the mechanical, materials and aerospace engineering department at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, and editor of the International Journal of Aeroacoustics, called the research "revolutionary." "The possibilities, I think, will go well beyond refrigeration," Raman told UPI. "This is an exciting development that only comes once in a while. And unlike other developments, this isn't an incremental step. This is a major leap." This new step in sound wave technology is equivalent to the strides made in harnessing light waves into laser technology, he explained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarun Posted December 16, 2002 Report Share Posted December 16, 2002 This same "Ben & Jerry" r also environmentally active. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetstraw Posted January 28, 2003 Report Share Posted January 28, 2003 Maybe this terribly cold weather we're having as of late is linked to their testing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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