Cool, dude! Save the Earth!

[unixronin]

Penn State University, in cooperation with Unilever and Ben & Jerry's, demonstrated an environmentally-friendly thermoacoustic chiller today that uses helium gas and acoustic pressure waves instead of fluorocarbon refrigerants.  The system also, apparently, has no moving mechanical parts such as valves or compressors, which should mean increased reliability.

Comments

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

I would guess that the efficiency oughta be pretty high.  No mechanical friction, no pumping losses, and the whole system is resonant.