Heating with sound, a curious but viable and ecological system. This is the bet launched by the French company Equium with a heat pump capable of heating using acoustic waves.
Equium acoustic heat pumps are a biomimetic innovation. Concretely, acoustic waves do the same job as regular compressors.
Technically, “we will generate an acoustic wave and pass it between two heat exchangers, one that is outside and the other that is connected to the radiators. The sound will pass between the two, and it will be hot/cold 100 times per second and therefore warm.”
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The only gas used in the system is helium, which is neutral and very efficient in terms of heat transfer. Equium claims the same efficiency as a classic heat pump “with the ease of use that allows us to be more carbon neutral”, agrees the founder.
While heat pumps make noise, between 45 and 60 db, in the Equium model, the sound is confined inside in isolation, there is no noise pollution.
The history of this Nantes-based company founded in 2017 is familiar, as the father of Cédric François rediscovered the physical principle of the thermoacoustic effect.
The heat pumps are not yet available for sale. It will be tested by Equium with Dalkia in heating systems by the end of the year and will be on the market in 2024.
“We want to bring the new French generation of compressors because they are mainly from the Asian or American market.” Equium also relies on durability, as its heat pump lasts 30 years versus the usual 10 years.
Source: BFM TV
