University of Utah Research Foundation

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Orest G Symko

Ehab Abdel-Rahman

Thierry Klein

David B Kieda

DeJuan Zhang

Young S Kwon

Ryan Behunin

Ivan A Rodriguez

Marie Urry

Larry A Franks

Wanjun Park

Kenneth L Hull

Joseph F Artuso

A thermoacoustic energy converter for converting heat energy to electricity includes an annular resonator with a regenerator disposed therein. An electro-mechanical transducer is coupled to the annular resonator and in fluid communication with the working fluid. When heat is applied to one end of the annular resonator, a traveling acoustic wave is generated in the annular resonator causing vibrations in the working fluid that actuate the electro-mechanical transducer to generate electricity.

Annular thermoacoustic energy converter

A thermoacoustic array energy converter consists of heat driven thermoacoustic prime movers in parallel coupled by means of an acoustic cavity to a piezoelectric electrical generator whose output is rectified and fed to an energy storage element. The prime movers convert heat to sound in a resonator. The sound form a phase-locked array is converted to electricity by means of the piezoelectric element. The generated electric energy is converted to DC by means of a rectifier set and it is then stored in a battery or supercapacitor. The generated electric energy can also be converted to power line frequency.

Compact thermoacoustic array energy converter

A thermoacoustic refrigerator having a relatively small size which utilizes one or more piezoelectric drivers to generate high frequency sound within a resonator at a frequency of between about 4000 Hz and ultrasonic frequencies. The interaction of the high frequency sound with one or more stacks create a temperature gradient across the stack which is conducted through a pair of heat exchangers located on opposite sides of each stack. The resonator has an asymmetrical, round configuration which enhances the cooling power of the thermoacoustic refrigerator.

High frequency thermoacoustic refrigerator

A thermoacoustic refrigerator having a relatively small size which utilizes one or more piezoelectric drivers to generate high frequency sound within a resonator at a frequency of between about 4000 Hz and ultrasonic frequencies. The interaction of the high frequency sound with one or more stacks create a temperature gradient across the stack which is conducted through a pair of heat exchangers located on opposite sides of each stack. The stack is comprised of an open-celled material that allows axial, radial, and azimuthal resonance modes of the resonator within the stack resulting in enhanced cooling power of the thermoacoustic refrigerator.

Various articles of manufacture, such as electrosurgical scalpels, razor blades, electronic components and mechanical components having a quasicrystalline AlCuFe alloy film less than about 10,000 &angst; thick. Such articles of manufacture may be formed by depositing (in sequence) on a substrate through radio frequency sputtering a stoichiometric amount of each respective alloy material and then annealing those layers to form the film through solid state diffusion.

Formation and applications of AlCuFe quasicrystalline thin films

Various articles of manufacture, such as electrosurgical scalpels, razor blades, and electronic components, comprise a quasicrystalline AlCuFe alloy film less than about 3000 &angst; thick, formed by depositing in sequence on a substrate through radio frequency sputtering a stoichiometric amount of each respective alloy material and then annealing those layers to form the film through solid state diffusion.

A radiation detector (10) is provided, wherein a bulk high T.sub.c superconducting sample (11) is placed in a magnetic field and maintained at a superconducting temperature. Photons of incident radiation will cause localized heating in superconducting loops of the sample destroying trapped flux and redistributing the fluxons, and reducing the critical current of the loops. Subsequent cooling of the sample in the magnetic field will cause trapped flux redistributed Abrikosov fluxons and trapped Josephson fluxons. The destruction and trapping of the fluxons causes changes in the magnetization of the sample inducing currents in opposite directions in a pickup coil (12) which is coupled by an input coil (15) to an rf SQUID (16).

Growing community of inventors

Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America

Orest G Symko