An Organ of Fire and Ice

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An Organ of Fire and Ice

• Nathan Stodola
• 9-Apr-2005

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Project Goals

• Create a new musical instrument
• Powered by fire
• Controllable notes

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Thermoacoustic Refrigerator

• TADOPTR
• No moving parts
• No toxic chemicals
• Low temperatures
• Natural gas storage
• Methane capture
• Keeping ice cream cold!

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Theory

• Relates heat to sound waves
• Engines and refrigerators
• DT across stack
• Channels
• Plates
• Pins

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Within The Stack

• Infinitesimal air parcels
• oscillate back and forth
• Bucket Brigade

Qin ?
Qout ?
Engine
Hot Exchanger
Cold Exchanger
Qin ?
Qout ?
Refrigerator
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The Organ

• Provides the temperature gradient to produce the
  waves
• Hot exchanger heated with flames
• Cold heat exchanger fluid cooled
• One note per tube

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CosmosWorks Analysis

• Part material
• Component geometry
• Intense cooling
• Exchanger insulation

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The Stack

• Made of Celcor
• Low thermal conductivity
• Housed in stainless steel tube

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Heat Exchangers

• Made of copper
• 44 holes allow air flow

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Hot

• Exchangers propane burner
• Similar to linear barbecue grill
• Mostly stock parts

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Cold

• Exchanger cooled with liquid nitrogen
• Two flows enter on opposite sides of the organ

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Insulation

• Employed around hot and cold exchangers
• Thermally isolates the exchangers from the
  ambient
• Amorphous silica survives direct flame

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Keyboard Activation

• Tractor exhaust caps cover open end of tubes
• Piano-style keys act as levers

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Tone Range

• Pipes difficult to manufacture
• 14 note design
• Allows C major, F major, D minor

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The Finished Organ

• Transforms heat into sound
• No net air movement
• Controllable instrument

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Acknowledgements

• Professor Brad Bruno
• Ben Tillotson, ME 03
• John Corey, President of CFIC
• Antoinette Jacobson
• Union College Machine Shop

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Questions?