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Refrigerators To Cool With Sound (Cool!)

Posted by timothy on from the loud-food dept.

T-Kir writes "A very interesting report from the BBC where researchers at Penn State University are developing a prototype fridge that cools using metal plates and sound waves. If successful, this technology would help remove the dependance on gases that contribute to global warming. Talk about Cool!"

6 of 436 comments (clear)

  1. old! by Jafafa+Hots · · Score: 0, Troll

    I remember reading an article about this tech over TEN YEARS ago... maybe 15. Nothing has come of it since then...

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  2. This system cannot scale by flikx · · Score: 1, Troll

    Unfortunately, this technology is only practical for use with very small systems. Sure, it might be able to cool a small ice cream cone, but this sort of system has no hope of scaling to the point that it cool 45 kg of groceries. Because of diminishing returns, the amount of power consumed would far outstrip the power needed for conventional Rankine cycle refrigeration units. However, this technology could be used in a laboratory to cool substances down to about -450 C. Very interesting indeed.

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    1. Re:This system cannot scale by flikx · · Score: 0, Troll

      You know, I don't have the endless time to waste like our resident celebrity trolls. I'm a busy engineer, and speed trolling is all I have time for. YOU EXPECT QUALITY?? IN SOVIET RUSSIA ...

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  3. But they still can solve the *real* problem... by Randolpho · · Score: 0, Troll

    ... the heat generated by the fridge. It's still more proportionately than the cooling it offers. Mark my words... global warming comes not from chloroflourocarbons (or however the hell you spell that), but from the heat let off by our refridgerators.

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  4. Re:Wow the BBC uses /. math! by omega_cubed · · Score: 0, Troll

    WRONG!!!

    Decibels are, by definition of "bels", on a LOG scale. It is based on Log 10:

    dB = Log( I/I_0) * 10

    where I is the Absolute Intensity in power/area, and I_0 a constant, which for sound is at 10^-12 Watt/Meter^2 (I think, or is it -10?)

    So a db different of 53 translates to

    10^(53/10) = 10^(5.3) which is approximately equal to 20 thousand times more intense.

    Werd

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  5. Re:Oh yeah... by Per+Wigren · · Score: 1, Troll

    Then you should hear MY fridge...
    It screams "Remove this all this fucking month-old food or I'll kill you!".. And I can tell you it's not kidding.. Everytime I open the fridge I almost die...

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