Vibrocentrifugal fluid pump

An experimental study of the fluid pumping effect of a clamped-free bar dri ven at its first resonance frequency is presented. A flexible tube is attac hed to the bar undergoing oscillatory excitation. The centrifugal force cre ated by the vibration will generate a pressure gradient causing steady, uni -directional fluid flow. This process is extremely attractive for the self- pumping of heat-transport liquids through the heat exchangers in a torsiona lly resonant toroidal thermoacoustic refrigerator. In that application, a s ingle motor can be used to provide the resonant excitation of the acoustic standing wave within the thermoacoustic refrigerator and eliminates the req uirement for two additional motors to pump the hot and cold heat-transport fluids. Measurements are found to agree with simple theoretical predictions . (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.