Thermoacoustic refrigerators (TAR) are a green alternative to existing refrigerators. TARs use inert gases for their operation. To use these environmentally friendly refrigerators in industrial applications, their performance should be further improved. To improve the performance of existing thermoacoustic refrigerators (e.g. TACOT) and better understand the physics underlying the interactions between turbulence generation and acoustic energy losses, we propose a project named: “Improving the Cooling capacity of environmentally friendly refrigerators” – ImClean. ImClean has three main goals. First, to quantify experimentally and numerically the acoustic energy losses due to the transition to turbulence in acoustically oscillating flows. Second, to provide empirical correlations for the acoustic energy losses due to flow discontinuities (e.g. convergence, divergence, elbows). Third, to design a compact acoustic driver for thermoacoustic applications. A combined experimental/numerical approach is adopted to achieve these intended goals. This approach will allow a better understanding of the physics underlying the investigated phenomena. Also, it will allow to development of experimental/numerical techniques and know-how. The outcomes will be a milestone for a new generation of thermoacoustic refrigerators. ImClean outcomes will not be only relevant for the thermoacoustic community, but also for several communities of acoustics and fluid mechanics. The outcomes of the project will enlarge scientific knowledge of fields such as oscillating flows, turbulence, acoustics, and electroacoustics. The project will have scientific, technical, technological, and social/educational impacts.

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