Thermoacoustics have been observed and known for centuries, but the use of this phenomenon to develop engines and cooling pumps is fairly recent. It combines the fields of acoustics and thermodynamics to move heat by using sound waves. Professor Biwa and his team at the School of Engineering are engaged in research to deepen the understanding and find practical applications of this phenomenon. Actually, this phenomenon has already found its way into practical applications, albeit niche applications, such as thermoacoustic refrigerator for the Space Shuttle and gas liquefaction processing.

With the appropriate gas, well-tuned sound waves have the power to generate large quantities of energy. They could consequently replace mechanical pistons while improving the efficiency and the reliability of Stirling engines since there are no moving parts involved at all. Besides, the ability to pump heat without any mechanical parts and the inherent simplicity of the resulting equipment make thermoacoustic technology very well suited for cryogenic and cooling applications.

The potential of such technology is extremely appealing and further improvement in order to implement this technology in daily life, for example, to power cars, regulate the temperature of living habitats or even generate electricity, should lead to a more sustainable society. The advantages of the inherent simplicity of this environmentally friendly technology based on acoustic waves should be utilized.