Appliance Design - April 2008 - (Page 17)

COOLING TECHNOLOGIES Food-storage refrigerator for U.S. Army. Army refrigerator with top open showing equipment detail. comparable conventional unit working similar duty in the same environment. One of the keys to acousticStirling efficiency is capability for capacity modulation, which is achieved with a simple SCR voltage control. Functioning much like a dimmer switch, the control changes the volume of the sound trapped inside from full capacity to near zero. The Army unit uses this simple system to maintain an internal temperature to within 0.1 DegC when kept closed. The potential for capacity modulation can benefit other cooling applications as well, without the cost and complexity of frequency-change electronics needed to modulate conventional compressors. In acoustic cooling, the efficiency gains derived from modulation is an intrinsic feature that involves little or no added cost. Another prototype currently under testing is a commercial rooftop A/C unit, sponsored by the State of California’s Energy Innovations program. This unit will establish the www.applianceDESIGN.com feasibility of a low-pressure, closed-air unit that can drop in to the same space as a conventional unit, only with less weight, no controlled fluids, and competitive efficiency and cost. This A/C design should also be scalable to throughthe-wall units like PTACs for hotels, where the new unit’s quiet modulation would be a welcome change from the noisy on/off operation of units widely used now. The promising results of these and other projects suggest that OEMs searching for alternative cooling methods may find that acoustic-Stirling technology can be an answer to lower-cost and higher efficiency with a minimal environmental impact. The approachable range for acoustic-Stirling coolers is from high ambient (50 DegC) to well below 50 Kelvin (-223 DegC), in unit sizes that range from a few watts of cryocold to several tons of air-conditioning. < For more information, enter . . . . . .300 Or email: jcorey@qdrive .com Cost-Effective Control for OEM Applications See us at NEPCON East and Assembly New England Booth 557 Athena Controls, Inc. For more information contact For more Information Enter 106 applianceDESIGN April 2008 17 1/8/08 11:13:53 AM AD02082Athena.indd 1 http://www.appliancedesign.com

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Appliance Design - April 2008 Contents Editorial Shipments/Forecasts News Watch A Variant of Thermoacoustic Refrigeration Known as Acoustic-Stirling is Expanding Its Range Outside Cryocooling Into More Conventional Applications Such As Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Free-Piston, Stirling Coolers Are Now Showing Up in Mainstream Applications As Costs Come Down and Heat Transport Solutions Are Devised Heat Exchanger Innovations Are Helping To Improve the Overall Efficiency of Vapor Compression Systems Environmental Concerns Have Once Again Ignited a Debate Over Refrigerants A New Glass Ceramic Material for Induction Cooktops Can Be Decorated In a Variety of Glimmering Metallic, 3-D Looks That Can Employ a Number of Shades, Patterns, Styles, Colors, Intensities, and Textures Colorful, Reflective Coatings for Glass Create a Variety of Design Options To Help Designers Establish a Unique Look for Their Products Appliance Designers Faced With Different Motor and Drive Options Need To Understand the Differences and Tradeoffs Before Choosing A New MEMS Valve Offers a Number of Advantages Over Solenoids In Certain Applications, Including the Opportunity To Cut Energy Use The AHR Expo Set Attendance Records and Showcased Thousands of Innovative New Products Classifieds Design Marts Advertiser’s Index Association Report: CEA

Appliance Design - April 2008

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