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Design and theoretical analysis of a high-performance heat-driven thermoacoustic cryocooler for natural gas liquefaction

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  • Wang, Benlei
  • Xiao, Lei
  • Wu, Zhanghua
  • Hu, Yiwei
  • Hu, Jianying
  • Luo, Ercang

Abstract

Environmental-friendly and efficient cooling technology plays a significant role in natural gas liquefaction. This study introduces a novel heat-driven thermoacoustic cryocooler, with analysis based on Sage software, designed to operate within the liquefied natural gas (LNG) temperature range, which features a direct-coupling configuration between the engine and cryocooler cores and a mechanical resonator to transmit acoustic power from one unit to another unit. Due to the less dissipation of the acoustic power transmission in this system than in the conventional heat-driven thermoacoustic cryocooler with long resonant tubes, the efficiency can be significantly enhanced. Here, research on the acoustic field distribution, exergy loss and the impact of the resonator parameters is performed to provide valuable guidance for system design. Additionally, the discussion of the temperature matching issue and exploration of the minimum cooling temperature further reveal the optimal working state and the limits of the cooling capacity of this system. Operating at a mean pressure of 9 MPa, with temperatures of 1000 K for heating and 120 K for cooling, the proposed system delivers 1.88 kW of total cooling power and reaches a relative Carnot efficiency of 32.2 %. This demonstrates the great potential of heat-driven thermoacoustic cooling systems for LNG temperature applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Benlei & Xiao, Lei & Wu, Zhanghua & Hu, Yiwei & Hu, Jianying & Luo, Ercang, 2025. "Design and theoretical analysis of a high-performance heat-driven thermoacoustic cryocooler for natural gas liquefaction," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 328(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:328:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225022741
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.136632
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    References listed on IDEAS

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