Patent ID: 8584471

Claim:
A thermoacoustic apparatus, comprising: a plurality of stages, each stage comprising: a closed, generally hollow body having a first end and a second end, for containing a working gas; an apparatus core, comprising: a regenerator disposed within said body; a first heat exchanger disposed within said body and proximate said regenerator at a first longitudinal end thereof; a second heat exchanger disposed within said body and proximate said regenerator at a second longitudinal end thereof; an acoustic source disposed within said generally hollow body; a drive signal source, communicatively coupled to said acoustic source, for providing a drive signal for said acoustic source; and an acoustic transmission line having a first end and a second end, said first end of said transmission line coupled to said second end of said body; and; a control system communicatively coupled to each said drive signal source for providing said drive signals with a set phase offset relative to one another; said plurality of stages communicatively coupled together in series to form a loop such that said second end of said transmission line of a first stage is communicatively coupled to said first end of said body of a second stage following said first stage in said series; and whereby, said communicative coupling of said stages and said control system permits excess acoustic power from said first stage to be transmitted within said transmission line of said first stage to said second stage at a selected phase of said acoustic source of said second stage.