Student Projects
Please complete the following information
Contact Information
University and Department: Columbia University, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Team Members: Salvatore Marsico (programmer), Nelson Andujar, Mirek Martincik, and Will Brown
Faculty Advisors: Fred R. Stolfi and Robert G. Stark
Primary Email Address: sam2216@columbia.edu
Primary Telephone Number (include area and country code): 914-527-9881
Project Information
Project Title: Tuning the Thermoacoustic Cooling Device
List all parts (hardware, software, etc.) you used to design and complete your project:
Unless otherwise addressed, the below items were ordered from McMaster.
The NI instruments and thermocouples were not logged in our report because they were not items we had to order.
NI instruments:
NI USB-9211A (or something very similar, please contact for verification)
6024E (The DAQ in the computer)
Omega:
2 Thermocouples: 5TC-TT-T-(*)-(**) http://www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=5TC
*Unsure of wire gauge
**Unsure of length
Catalog # | Description |
8965k85 | Ultra Conductive Copper |
9159k36 | Thick-Wall Black Polypro |
5663K12 | Drive Hose Clamp 2" to 4- |
8486K557 | Clear Cast Acrylic Tube 3" |
8609k46 | Weather-Resistant Butyl Rubber Plain Back, 1/8" Thk, 2" W, 36" L, 60A Durometer |
AIOMN404 | Aquarium Systems Mini-Jet 404 Water Pump |
500SWR1042 | Alpine SWR-1042D |
4734K111 | Slit Self-Seal Polyethylene Pipe Insulation 3/8" Thick, 3/8" Insulation ID, 6' Length |
4734K112 | Slit Self-Seal Polyethylene Pipe Insulation 3/8" Thick, 1/2" Insulation ID, 6' Length, Black |
76455A28 | 3M Scotch Brand Electrical Tape 1-1/2" Wd X 44' Lg, Black, Super 88 |
9367K33 | Foil-Faced Bubble Wrap Insulation 24" Wide, 25 ft Roll Length |
5405K185 | Red Air and Water Hose W/ Brass 3/8" Male Both Ends, 3/8" ID, 200 PSI |
5405K5 | Red Air and Water Hose 3/8" ID, 21/32" OD, 200 PSI $0.80 per foot |
J&R Item # FUJ SUP400-3+1 | Fuji Film - 4-Pack of Superia ISO 400 Color 35mm Film |
89985K12 | High Strength Copper (Alloy 182) Rod, 1/8" Diameter, 3' Length |
8965k85 | Ultra Conductive Copper |
89985K12 | High Strength Copper (Alloy 182) Rod, 1/8" Diameter, 3' Length |
Describe the challenge your project is trying to solve:
My team and I constructed a thermal acoustic cooling device, which uses the expansion part of a sound wave to cool. It was believed that this occurs at a predetermined frequency based on the physical design of the system. The labview part of the experiment was created because we determined that the frequency for maximum cooling did not occur at the theoretical value (big surprise) and we needed a means to achieve maximum cooling.
Describe how you addressed the challenge through your project:
I (the programmer) used a feedback system from thermocouple measurements to compare the minimum recorded temperature at different frequencies. The starting frequency is less than the theoretical value that has already been determined based on the system parameters. The program then steps the frequency up a predetermined value (5 Hz in our case) every 30-60 sec (it can be changed in the program). It records the minimum temperature that the thermocouple reads in the period and compares it to the previous period minimum. The first comparison uses an ambient value, which was measured and input to the program prior to the beginning of the experiment. If the minimum temperature is colder with each successive period then the program will continue to step, but once it reaches a frequency that has a minimum temperature that is greater than the previous the program "knows" the the minimum temperature frequency had been passed. If follows the same process of stepping the frequency, but in the opposite direction and at a fraction of the input step value. Once the coldest frequency has again been passed, it then steps up in frequency, once, equal to the value it had been stepping down. It is not designed to turn the stepping processes a second time.
Attached is the paper we submitted for our "Senior Design Class." It will provide important information about the project itself and an analysis of the labview program.
Please upload photos below:
Thermoacoustic Cooling Device with DAQ and thermocouples.
The Team (from left to right): Nelson, Mirek, Sal, and Will
And The Thermoacoustic Cooling Device
Please insert video below:
(Video might look different from actual program because the front panel was changed around to allow for a more aesthetically pleasing visualization for people that were originally viewing the program)
(Video is attached and compressed)
