Thermoacoustic Technology
uses Sound Waves
that create a
Cooling Effect.
Discover how Cool Sound Industries is revolutionizing climate control by harnessing the fundamental physics of acoustic energy and heat transfer—eliminating the need for harmful refrigerants, dangerous propane, and failure-prone compressors.
A revolutionary approach to heating and cooling that harnesses the power of sound waves
"Thermoacoustics is a physical phenomenon describing the relationship between acoustic energy and heat transfer. Acoustics or sound waves consist of oscillations in pressure, temperature and displacement. Although the temperature oscillations are small, research has shown that this 'thermoacoustic' effect can be harnessed to produce efficient heat engines. Thus, these engines have the potential to be both simple and reliable."
Thermoacoustics has been relatively obscure within the commercial engineering community, due to its initial specialized use in space and military applications. Recent interest in thermoacoustics as an alternative heat transfer process underpins the timing of investing and developing this technology to replace applications relying on environmentally hazardous refrigeration gases.
Sound waves carry energy through pressure oscillations. In thermoacoustic systems, these oscillations are precisely controlled to create a heat-pumping effect within the resonator chamber.
As gas particles oscillate with the sound wave, they undergo compression and expansion cycles, absorbing heat at one end of the system and releasing it at the other—creating efficient cooling.
Unlike traditional compressor-based systems, thermoacoustic coolers have minimal or no mechanical moving parts, resulting in exceptional reliability, longevity, and near-silent operation.
A step by step breakdown
An acoustic driver (similar to a loudspeaker) generates powerful sound waves at a specific frequency within a sealed resonator tube. These aren't audible sounds—they're precisely tuned pressure waves designed to maximize heat transfer efficiency.
The sound waves pass through a "stack"—a porous structure with many narrow channels. As gas particles oscillate back and forth through these channels, they experience rapid compression and expansion cycles. When compressed, the gas heats up; when expanded, it cools down.
As the oscillating gas particles heat up and cool down, they exchange thermal energy with the walls of the stack. The phasing between pressure and displacement causes a net transfer of heat along the length of the stack—from the cold side to the hot side.
Heat exchangers at each end of the stack capture the thermal energy. The hot heat exchanger rejects heat to the environment (outside), while the cold heat exchanger absorbs heat from the space being cooled (inside)—providing effective air conditioning.
The process repeats continuously as long as the acoustic driver operates. The working gas (typically helium, air, or other inert gases) never leaves the sealed system and never depletes. The result: reliable, efficient, and environmentally friendly cooling with no refrigerant leaks possible.
Sound waves in → Heat pumped out.
No Freon. No propane. No
compressor. Just physics.
Understanding the physics that powers our revolutionary cooling technology
Our systems utilize standing wave resonance within precisely engineered tubes. When the acoustic driver operates at the resonant frequency of the tube, the sound waves amplify and create powerful pressure oscillations with minimal energy input. This resonance is the key to achieving high efficiency.
When gas is compressed rapidly (faster than heat can escape), its temperature rises. When expanded rapidly, it cools. This adiabatic process, occurring billions of times per second in the oscillating gas, is the fundamental mechanism that allows sound waves to pump heat.
The critical innovation lies in the phase relationship between pressure and velocity oscillations near the stack. This phasing determines whether the system acts as a cooler (heat pump) or an engine (heat to work converter). Our patented designs optimize this phase relationship for maximum cooling performance.
Our patented Double Acting Pulse Tube Electroacoustic System represents a breakthrough in thermoacoustic efficiency. By using a push-pull configuration with two acoustic drivers operating 180° out of phase, we achieve:
Our systems use environmentally benign working gases:
Thermoacoustic systems can theoretically approach Carnot efficiency—the maximum possible efficiency for any heat engine. Our designs achieve practical efficiencies that significantly exceed traditional vapor-compression systems.
See how our technology compares to conventional vapor-compression systems
| Feature | Thermoacoustic | Traditional |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerants | None Required | Freon/HFCs |
| Compressor | Not Needed | Required |
| Moving Parts | Minimal (1-2) | Many (10+) |
| Maintenance | Minimal | Regular Service |
| Expected Lifespan | 20+ Years | 10-15 Years |
| Environmental Impact | Zero Emissions | High GWP Gases |
| Safety Risk | None | Refrigerant Leaks |
| Noise Level | Very Quiet | Compressor Noise |
| Energy Efficiency | Up to 50%+ Savings | Baseline |
Thermoacoustic technology delivers superior performance across every metric that matters—environmental safety, reliability, longevity, and operating costs. It's not just an improvement; it's a fundamental paradigm shift in how we approach climate control.
Thermoacoustic technology isn't just an incremental improvement:
it's
a complete reimagining
of how we create
comfortable environments.
Questions about the technology? Contact our engineering team