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Originally Posted by Brians256
Sounds like it could really work well, but I have doubts that it would create a huge temperature differential without a cascaded system. Maybe they'll get it working.
Interesting that they gloss over the use of inert refrigerants like nitrogen and CO2, or the extremely cheap and easy to work with refrigerant propane.
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It should work very well, it is essentially a Stirling-style heat pump. The interesting thing is the use of a loudspeaker as a driving diaphragm and a passive diaphragm in resonance, essentially replacing pistons in the Stirling engine. Just as the pistons might be externally driven in a Stirling engine to use it as a heat pump, so the diaphragm is driven in this model. Rather than connecting the pistons (diaphragms) mechanically they are connected by resonance.
I'd say it's a pretty cool idea, and should have near as good efficiency as a Stirling heat pump without the manufacturing hassles of a Stirling engine.