Method for manufacturing a heat storage device, and heat storage device

Abstract

Provided is a production method for a thermal accumulator 50 that is used in a thermoacoustic device 10, said method comprising: a layering step for stacking a plurality of metal meshes 51 to obtain a layered body 52; a compression step for pressing the layered body 52 and maintaining a compressed state; and a fixing step for providing a fixing body to an outer peripheral surface 52F of the layered body 52 while the compressed state is maintained in the compression step, and fixing the outer peripheral surface 52F of the layered body 52.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a method for manufacturing a regenerator and a regenerator.

Background Art

[0002] A thermoacoustic engine (thermoacoustic device) includes a pipe filled with a working gas that propagates sound waves, and a prime mover (energy converter) incorporated in the pipe. The energy converter includes a regenerator, and a heater and a cooler (heat exchanger) respectively arranged at both ends of the regenerator. Such an energy converter can be used, for example, as a thermoacoustic engine that converts thermal energy into acoustic energy (sound waves) by self-excited vibration of the working gas due to the temperature gradient generated between both ends of the regenerator. (See Patent Document 1). Generally, the larger the temperature gradient between both ends of the regenerator, the higher the conversion efficiency from thermal energy to acoustic energy.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As a regenerator, a laminate in which a large number of mesh thin plates are laminated may be used. The laminate is arranged inside the pipe while being compressed. At this time, a phenomenon (springback) in which the compressed laminate tries to return to its original state may occur, and variations may occur in the thickness of the laminate and the distance between adjacent metal meshes. There is concern that this variation may affect the temperature gradient between both ends of the regenerator and cause the performance of the regenerator to become unstable. Note that such problems are the same even when the energy converter is used for applications other than the above thermoacoustic engine (for example, a heat pump that performs heat transfer by inputting acoustic energy into the regenerator). [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] (1) The technology disclosed herein is a method for manufacturing a heat storage device used in a thermoacoustic device, comprising: a lamination step of stacking a plurality of metal meshes to obtain a laminate; a compression step of pressing and holding the laminate in a compressed state; and a fixing step of arranging a fixing body on the outer surface of the laminate, which has been held in the compressed state in the compression step, to fix the outer surface of the laminate.

[0006] According to the above configuration, springback of the laminate can be suppressed, and the performance of the heat storage device can be stabilized.

[0007] (2) In the method for manufacturing a heat storage device described in (1) above, the fixing body may be made of rubber.

[0008] With this configuration, the fixing body elastically deforms to fill the gap between the heat accumulator and the piping in which it is housed, thus stably holding the heat accumulator inside the piping. Furthermore, since rubber has a lower thermal conductivity than metal, heat is less likely to be transferred from the laminate to the piping compared to when a rubber fixing body is not placed around the laminate, thereby suppressing the decrease in the operating efficiency of the thermoacoustic device due to heat dissipation from the heat accumulator.

[0009] (3) In the method for manufacturing a heat storage device described in (2) above, the rubber may be liquid rubber.

[0010] With this configuration, the fixing body can be easily formed on the outer surface of the laminate. In addition, since the liquid rubber impregnates the area slightly inward from the outer edge of each metal mesh, the outer edge of each metal mesh is firmly held by the fixing body.

[0011] (4) In the method for manufacturing a heat storage device as described in (3) above, the lamination step may include a step of bringing the positioning portion of a positioning member, which has a plurality of positioning portions arranged at intervals from each other, into contact with the outer edge of the plurality of metal meshes.

[0012] With this configuration, liquid rubber can be applied while the outer edges of multiple metal meshes are aligned and positioned. This ensures that the outer edges of the multiple metal meshes are securely held in place by the fixing body. Furthermore, because the positioning parts are spaced apart from each other, the outer edges of the metal meshes can be exposed through the gaps between adjacent positioning parts, and liquid rubber can be applied to these exposed portions. This makes it easy to apply liquid rubber while the outer edges of the metal meshes are positioned.

[0013] (5) The technology disclosed herein is a heat storage device used in a thermoacoustic device, comprising a laminate in which a plurality of metal meshes are stacked in a compressed state, and a fixing body fixed to the outer surface of the laminate.

[0014] According to the above configuration, springback of the laminate can be suppressed, and the performance of the heat storage device can be stabilized. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the method for manufacturing a heat storage device and the heat storage device disclosed herein, springback of the laminate can be suppressed and the performance of the heat storage device can be stabilized. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] A perspective view showing a partially cutaway thermoacoustic device of the embodiment. [Figure 2] Sectional view along line II-II in Figure 1 [Figure 3] Perspective view of the heat storage device of the embodiment [Figure 4] Perspective view of the positioning member of the embodiment [Figure 5] A side view showing the state before the first pressing member and the metal mesh are set on the positioning member in the manufacturing method of the heat storage device of the embodiment. [Figure 6]In the method for manufacturing the heat accumulator of the embodiment, a side view showing a state in which a first pressing member and a metal mesh are set on a positioning member [Figure 7] In the method for manufacturing the heat accumulator of the embodiment, a side view showing a state in which the metal mesh set on the positioning member is compressed by the first pressing member and the second pressing member

Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Specific examples of the technology disclosed by this specification will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, and is indicated by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0018] <Embodiment> The embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The thermoacoustic device 10 of the present embodiment is a cooling device for maintaining the temperature of an object at a temperature lower than room temperature by using acoustic energy.

[0019] (Overall Configuration of Thermoacoustic Device 10) As shown in FIG. 1, the thermoacoustic device 10 includes a pipe 20, and a prime mover 30 and a cooler 40 arranged in the middle of the pipe 20.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the pipe 20 includes a plurality of main pipes 21, a plurality (two in this embodiment) of expansion pipes 22, and a plurality (two in this embodiment) of accommodation pipes 23. In this embodiment, the main pipe 21, the expansion pipe 22, and the accommodation pipe 23 are made of metal. The main pipe 21 is a pipe having a constant inner diameter. The expansion pipe 22 is a pipe whose inner diameter at the central portion between both ends is larger than that of the main pipe 21.

[0021] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the housing pipe 23 is a pipe in which the inner diameter of the central portion between both ends is larger than that of the main pipe 21. More specifically, the housing pipe 23 is a pipe having openings 23A at both ends, and comprises two first straight pipe sections 23B, two tapered sections 23C, and a second straight pipe section 23D. The two first straight pipe sections 23B are two short straight pipe-like portions adjacent to each of the two openings 23A. The second straight pipe section 23D is located in the middle between the two first straight pipe sections 23B and is a short straight pipe-like portion having a larger inner diameter than the first straight pipe sections 23B. The two tapered sections 23C connect one first straight section 23B to the second straight section 23D, and the other first straight section 23B to the second straight section 23D, respectively, and are the parts that narrow in diameter from the second straight section 23D towards the first straight section 23B.

[0022] Multiple main pipes 21 connect the two housing pipes 23, the housing pipes 23 and the expansion pipes 22, and the two expansion pipes 22, respectively. The main pipes 21, expansion pipes 22, and housing pipes 23 form a loop-shaped conduit P1. A working gas is sealed inside the conduit P1. The working gas is not particularly limited as long as it is a gas that can transmit sound waves, but an inert gas consisting of helium, argon, or a mixture of helium and argon, or air is preferably used.

[0023] (Configuration of the prime mover 30) The prime mover 30 is a device for converting thermal energy into acoustic energy (sound waves) and is located inside one of the housing pipes 23 (the upper housing pipe 23 in Figure 1). As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the prime mover 30 comprises a heat accumulator 50, a first heat exchanger 60, and a second heat exchanger 70. The first heat exchanger 60, the heat accumulator 50, and the second heat exchanger 70 are arranged in this order from one opening 23A to the other opening 23A.

[0024] (heat storage 50) The heat storage unit 50 is a thick, disc-shaped unit with one surface 50F1 (the right-hand surface in Figure 2) and the other surface 50F2 (the left-hand surface in Figure 2). The heat storage unit 50 is positioned perpendicular to the axial direction (left-right direction in Figure 2) of the housing piping 23, with one surface 50F1 facing one opening 23A and the other surface 50F2 facing the other opening 23A.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, the heat storage device 50 comprises a laminate 52 formed by stacking multiple circular metal meshes 51 in a compressed state, and a fixing body 53 fixed to the outer circumferential surface 52F of the laminate 52. The metal mesh 51 is a mesh-like member in which multiple metal fine wires are woven together. The multiple metal meshes 51 have substantially the same outer shape and are stacked with their outer edges aligned. The outer circumferential surface 52F of the laminate 52 is a surface formed by the continuous outer edges of the multiple stacked metal meshes 51. The laminate 52 is formed by the continuous mesh (gaps between fine wires) of the multiple metal meshes 51 and has a number of fine through-passages P2 that penetrate from one surface 50F1 to the other surface 50F2 of the laminate 52.

[0026] The fixing body 53 is fixed to the outer circumferential surface 52F of the laminate 52 and plays the role of holding the outer edges of the multiple metal meshes 51 so that they do not separate from each other. The fixing body 53 keeps the multiple metal meshes 51 in a more compressed state than if they were simply stacked without their outer edges being fixed. The fixing body 53 covers the entire outer circumferential surface 52F of the laminate 52. In other words, the fixing body 53 is positioned around the entire circumference of the outer circumferential surface 52F of the laminate 52 and extends along the entire length in the thickness direction of the laminate 52 (from a position adjacent to one surface 50F1 to a position adjacent to the other surface 50F2).

[0027] In this embodiment, the fixing body 53 is made of silicone rubber. When the heat accumulator 50 is placed inside the housing pipe 23, the fixing body 53 fills the gap between the laminate 52 and the inner surface of the housing pipe 23 by elastically deforming. This prevents the heat accumulator 50 from unexpectedly falling out of the housing pipe 23. In addition, the silicone rubber constituting the fixing body 53 has a lower thermal conductivity than the metal constituting the metal mesh 51. Therefore, by interposing the fixing body 53 between the laminate 52 and the housing pipe 23, heat dissipation from the laminate 52 to the housing pipe 23 can be reduced compared to the case where the fixing body 53 is not interposed. The thickness of the fixing body 53 is not particularly limited as long as it can fix the outer edges of the multiple metal meshes 51, but from the viewpoint of reliably fixing the outer edges of the multiple metal meshes 51 with the minimum necessary thickness and reducing heat dissipation from the laminate 52 to the housing pipe 23, it is preferable that the thickness be approximately 0.5 mm to 1 mm.

[0028] (First heat exchanger 60, second heat exchanger 70) As shown in Figure 2, the first heat exchanger 60 is arranged adjacent to one side 50F1 of the heat accumulator 50. As the first heat exchanger 60, for example, a known heat exchanger can be used, which comprises heat transfer tubes through which a medium passes, and fins arranged around the heat transfer tubes. A high-temperature heat transfer medium is supplied inside the heat transfer tubes, and heat exchange takes place between the working gas near the first heat exchanger 60 and the heat transfer medium. As the heat transfer medium, for example, heat transfer oil heated by waste heat from a factory can be used.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the second heat exchanger 70 is positioned adjacent to the other side 50F2 of the heat accumulator 50. As the second heat exchanger 70, for example, a known heat exchanger comprising heat transfer tubes through which a medium passes and fins arranged around the heat transfer tubes can be used. A medium at a lower temperature than the heat transfer medium (in this embodiment, water at room temperature) is supplied to the inside of the heat transfer tubes, so that the working gas near the second heat exchanger 70 is at a temperature lower than the temperature of the heat transfer medium.

[0030] (Configuration of the cooling unit 40) The cooler 40 is a heat pump that generates a temperature gradient by receiving acoustic energy generated by the prime mover 30, and maintains the temperature of the object at a temperature lower than room temperature. As shown in Figure 1, it is located inside the other housing piping 23. The cooler 40 comprises a heat accumulator 50 and a first heat exchanger 60 and a second heat exchanger 70, which are located on either side of the heat accumulator 50. The heat accumulator 50 and heat exchangers 60 and 70 in the cooler 40 have the same configuration as the heat accumulator 50 and heat exchangers 60 and 70 in the prime mover 30. A medium at a constant temperature (in this embodiment, water at room temperature) is supplied inside the heat transfer tubes of the first heat exchanger 60, and the working gas near the first heat exchanger 60 becomes approximately room temperature. The heat transfer tubes in the second heat exchanger 70 are connected to a heat exchanger provided in an external cooling system, and a refrigerant circulates inside these heat transfer tubes.

[0031] (Manufacturing method for the heat storage device 50) As shown in Figure 7, the manufacturing apparatus 100 for manufacturing the heat storage device 50 includes a positioning member 110, a first pressing member 120, and a second pressing member 130.

[0032] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the positioning member 110 comprises a short cylindrical frame 111 with open ends, and a plurality of positioning parts 112 extending from one of the open edges 111A of the frame 111 and spaced apart from each other. The inner diameter of the frame 111 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the metal mesh 51. Each positioning part 112 is plate-shaped. The plurality of positioning parts 112 are arranged at equal intervals along the open edge 111A of the frame 111.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5-7, the first pressing member 120 comprises a first pressing plate 121, a stopper plate 123 that overlaps the first pressing plate 121, and a first support portion 122 extending from the stopper plate 123. The first pressing plate 121 is disc-shaped with an outer diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the metal mesh 51, and one of its front and back surfaces is a first pressing surface 121A that contacts the laminate 52. The stopper plate 123 is disc-shaped and slightly larger than the first pressing plate 121, and is arranged concentrically with the first pressing plate 121. The first support portion 122 extends from the side of the stopper plate 123 opposite to the first pressing plate 121 and supports the first pressing plate 121 and the stopper plate 123.

[0034] As shown in Figure 7, the second pressing member 130 comprises a second pressing plate 131 and a second support portion 132 extending from the second pressing plate 131. The second pressing plate 131 is disc-shaped with an outer diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the metal mesh 51, and one of its front and back surfaces is a second pressing surface 131A that contacts the laminate 52. The second support portion 132 extends from the side of the second pressing plate 131 opposite to the second pressing surface 131A and supports the second pressing plate 131.

[0035] Next, the procedure for manufacturing the heat storage device 50 using the above-described manufacturing apparatus 100 will be explained.

[0036] As shown in Figure 6, first, the frame 111 is attached to the first pressing plate 121 in a position where the multiple positioning parts 112 face in the opposite direction to the stopper plate 123. The frame 111 is positioned to surround the first pressing plate 121. When one end of the frame 111 (the lower end in Figure 6) abuts against the stopper plate 123, the positioning member 110 is positioned such that the position of the opening edge 111A is aligned with the position of the first pressing surface 121A relative to the first pressing plate 121. Next, multiple metal meshes 51 are sequentially stacked on the first pressing surface 121A (lamination process). At this stage, the stacked body 52 of the multiple metal meshes 51 is simply stacked and no external force is applied, so it is not compressed. Multiple positioning parts 112 are positioned to surround the multiple metal meshes 51, and the outer edges of the metal meshes 51 abut against the positioning parts 112. This positions the outer edges of the multiple metal meshes 51 so that they align with each other.

[0037] Next, as shown in Figure 7, the second pressing plate 131 is placed on top of the laminate 52, sandwiching the laminate 52 between the first pressing plate 121 and the second pressing plate 131. At this time, the second pressing surface 131A is in contact with the laminate 52. Next, the second pressing plate 131 is pressed in the direction toward the first pressing plate 121 (downward in Figure 7), compressing the laminate 52 between the first pressing plate 121 and the second pressing plate 131 (compression step). By pushing the second pressing plate 131 until the distance between the first pressing surface 121A and the second pressing surface 131A becomes a predetermined distance, the laminate 52 is brought to the designed compressed state.

[0038] Next, while holding the laminate 52 in a compressed state, liquid rubber is applied to the outer surface 52F of the laminate 52 and dried to form a fixed body 53 (fixing step). Liquid rubber is a polymer that is fluid at room temperature and atmospheric pressure before application to the object, but hardens after application by drying, heating, or other treatments, and can form a rubber elastic body. The liquid rubber may contain crosslinking agents, crosslinking accelerators, and other compounding agents. There are no particular restrictions on the type of liquid rubber that can be used, and it may be diene rubber, silicone rubber, urethane rubber, or polysulfide rubber. In this embodiment, a suitable liquid rubber is a silicone rubber-based liquid rubber (for example, ULTRA Cooper Gasket Maker Exhaust 81878 manufactured by Permatex) which forms a rubber elastic body when dried after application.

[0039] First, liquid rubber is applied to the portion of the outer surface 52F of the laminate 52 that is exposed from the positioning portion 112. Since the outer edges of the multiple metal meshes 51 are aligned in advance by the positioning portion 112 during the lamination process, the liquid rubber can be applied smoothly and reliably to the outer surface 52F. Because the metal meshes 51 that make up the laminate 52 are mesh-like members, the applied liquid rubber penetrates to a position slightly inward from the outer edge of each metal mesh 51.

[0040] The laminated body 52 is left at room temperature for a while after coating to allow the liquid rubber to dry. Once the liquid rubber has dried, the positioning member 110 is rotated relative to the laminated body 52 while maintaining the state in which the stopper plate 123 is in contact with the frame 111, exposing the areas on the outer peripheral surface 52F where the liquid rubber has not been applied from the positioning part 112. Liquid rubber is applied to the exposed areas and allowed to dry. By repeating these steps, the fixing body 53 is formed over the entire outer peripheral surface 52F. The heat storage device 50 is thus completed. As described above, the liquid rubber is impregnated to a position slightly inward from the outer peripheral edge of each metal mesh 51, so the fixing body 52 is formed in a shape that bites in slightly inward from the outer peripheral edge of each metal mesh 51. As a result, the outer peripheral edge of each metal mesh 51 is firmly held by the fixing body 52, and springback of the laminated body 52 can be more reliably avoided.

[0041] (Operation of the thermoacoustic device 10) When the thermoacoustic device 10 is operated, a heat transfer medium is flowed through the first heat exchanger 60 provided in the prime mover 30. Then, heat exchange takes place between the working gas near one side 50F1 and the heat transfer medium in the heat accumulator 50 provided in the prime mover 30. As a result, the temperature of the working gas near one side 50F1 in the heat accumulator 50 is adjusted to approach the temperature of the heat transfer medium. In addition, room temperature water is flowed through the second heat exchanger 70 provided in the prime mover 30. Then, heat exchange takes place between the working gas near the other side 50F2 of the heat accumulator 50 and the room temperature water. As a result, the temperature of the working gas near the other side 50F2 in the heat accumulator 50 is adjusted to approach room temperature.

[0042] The action of these heat exchangers 60 and 70 creates a temperature gradient between one side 50F1 and the other side 50F2 of the heat accumulator 50. This causes the working gas inside the through-passage P2 to become unstable and begin to vibrate. This vibration generates acoustic energy (sound waves). The generated acoustic energy is output from one side 50F1 of the heat accumulator 50 (the side where the first heat exchanger 60 is located), transmitted through the working gas sealed inside the pipe P1, and reaches the cooler 40 (see arrow in Figure 1).

[0043] When acoustic energy transmitted by the working gas is input to the heat accumulator 50 provided in the cooler 40, a temperature gradient is created between one surface 50F1 and the other surface 50F2. Since room temperature water flows through the first heat exchanger 60 located on the acoustic energy input side of the cooler 40, the temperature of the working gas near the second heat exchanger 70 in the heat accumulator 50 is adjusted to a temperature lower than room temperature by the amount of the resulting temperature gradient. Heat exchange takes place between this lower-temperature working gas and the refrigerant, and the refrigerant, now at a lower temperature, is supplied to an external cooling system to cool the object.

[0044] Previous research has suggested that in order to stably generate acoustic energy from the temperature gradient between one surface 50F1 and the other surface 50F2 of the heat storage 50, and to stably generate the temperature gradient between one surface 50F1 and the other surface 50F2 of the heat storage 50 due to the input of acoustic energy, the through-passages P2 of the heat storage 50 must be as fine as possible. For this reason, it is considered preferable that the laminated body 52 constituting the heat storage 50 be kept in a compressed state. However, if the laminated body 52 is simply compressed and placed inside the housing piping 23, a phenomenon called springback occurs where the compressed laminated body 52 tries to return to its original state, which can cause variations in the overall thickness of the laminated body 52 and the distance between adjacent metal meshes 51. There are concerns that these variations will affect the temperature gradient between both ends of the heat storage 50, leading to unstable performance of the heat storage 50. In this embodiment, a laminate 52 made of multiple metal meshes 51 is held in a compressed state, and a fixing body 53 is placed on the outer surface 52F to fix it in place. With this configuration, springback of the laminate 52 can be suppressed, and the performance of the heat storage device 50 can be stabilized.

[0045] (Effects and Benefits) As described above, the manufacturing method of the heat storage device 50 of this embodiment is a manufacturing method of a heat storage device 50 used in a thermoacoustic device 10, and includes a lamination step of stacking a plurality of metal meshes 51 to obtain a laminate 52, a compression step of pressing and holding the laminate 52 in a compressed state, and a fixing step of arranging a fixing body 53 on the outer surface 52F of the laminate 52 which has been held in a compressed state in the pre-compression step, thereby fixing the outer surface 52F of the laminate 52.

[0046] Furthermore, the heat storage device 50 of this embodiment is a heat storage device 50 used in a thermoacoustic device 10, and comprises a laminate 52 in which a plurality of metal meshes 51 are stacked in a compressed state, and a fixing body 53 fixed to the outer peripheral surface 52F of the laminate 52.

[0047] According to the above configuration, the springback of the laminate 52 can be suppressed, and the performance of the heat storage device 50 can be stabilized.

[0048] In the manufacturing method of the heat storage device 50 described above, the fixed body 53 is made of rubber.

[0049] With this configuration, the fixing body 53 fills the gap between the heat accumulator 50 and the housing piping 23 in which the heat accumulator 50 is housed by elastic deformation, thereby stably holding the heat accumulator 50 inside the housing piping 23. In addition, since rubber has a lower thermal conductivity than metal, heat is less likely to be transferred from the laminate 52 to the housing piping 23 compared to a case where the rubber fixing body 53 is not placed around the laminate 52, thereby suppressing the decrease in operating efficiency due to heat dissipation from the heat accumulator 50.

[0050] In the manufacturing method of the heat storage device 50 described above, liquid rubber is used. With this configuration, the fixing body 53 can be easily formed on the outer surface 52F of the laminate 52. In addition, since the liquid rubber impregnates the area slightly inward from the outer edge of each metal mesh 51, the outer edge of each metal mesh 51 is firmly held by the fixing body 53.

[0051] In the manufacturing method of the heat storage device 50 described above, the lamination step includes a step of bringing the positioning portions 112 of a positioning member 110, which has a plurality of positioning portions 112 arranged at intervals from each other, into contact with the outer edges of a plurality of metal meshes 51.

[0052] With this configuration, liquid rubber can be applied while the outer edges of multiple metal meshes 51 are aligned and positioned. This ensures that the outer edges of the multiple metal meshes 51 are securely held by the fixing body 53. Furthermore, because the positioning parts 112 are spaced apart from each other, the outer edges of the metal meshes 51 can be exposed through the gaps between adjacent positioning parts 112, and liquid rubber can be applied to these exposed portions. This makes it easy to apply liquid rubber while the outer edges of the metal meshes 51 are positioned.

[0053] <Other Embodiments> (1) In the above embodiment, the thermoacoustic device 10 was a cooling device, but the thermoacoustic device does not have to be a cooling device. For example, it may be a heating device equipped with a heat pump for heating instead of the cooler 40, or it may be a power generation device equipped with a generator that converts sound waves output from a prime mover into electricity. (2) In the above embodiment, the piping 20 was in the shape of a loop, but the piping may also include branch pipes that branch off from the loop-shaped piping. (3) In the above embodiment, the thermoacoustic device 10 was equipped with one prime mover 30, but the thermoacoustic device may be equipped with multiple prime movers. (4) In the above embodiment, the thermoacoustic device 10 was equipped with two expansion tubes 22, but there may be one or more expansion tubes, and the thermoacoustic device may not be equipped with expansion tubes. (5) In the above embodiment, the heat storage container 50 was disc-shaped, but there are no particular restrictions on the shape of the heat storage container, and it may be, for example, a polygonal plate shape. (6) In the above embodiment, the housing pipe 23 was a pipe in which the inner diameter of the central portion between both ends was larger than that of the main pipe 21. However, there are no particular restrictions on the shape of the portion of the pipe that houses the heat storage unit; any shape that can house the heat storage unit is acceptable. (7) In the above embodiment, silicone rubber was used as an example material for the fixing body 53, but there are no particular restrictions on the material of the fixing body 53, as long as it can hold the outer edges of the multiple metal meshes. The fixing body may be made of rubber other than silicone rubber, or of a material other than rubber (for example, resin or metal). From the viewpoint of suppressing heat transfer to the piping, it is preferable that the fixing body be made of a material with a lower thermal conductivity than the metal constituting the metal mesh. (8) In the above embodiment, liquid rubber was used to form the fixing body, but for example, the fixing body may be composed of a sheet made of rubber or resin and an adhesive that fixes the sheet to the periphery of the laminate. (9) In the above embodiment, the fixing body 53 was formed around the entire circumference of the outer surface of the laminate 52, but the fixing body does not have to be formed around the entire circumference of the outer surface of the laminate as long as it can hold the multiple metal meshes in a compressed state, for example, multiple fixing bodies may be arranged on the outer surface of the laminate with gaps in between. (10) In the above embodiment, a positioning member 110 was used to align the outer edges of the multiple metal meshes 51, but it is not necessary to use a positioning member, and for example, an operator may manually align the outer edges of the multiple metal meshes 51. (11) In the above embodiment, the positioning member 110 was positioned relative to the first pressing plate 121 by a stopper plate 123 provided on the first pressing member 120. However, the configuration for positioning the positioning member relative to the first pressing plate is arbitrary, and may be, for example, a locking projection that protrudes from the positioning member and engages with the first pressing member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 10: Thermoacoustic device 50: Heat accumulator 51: Metal mesh 52: Laminate 52F: Outer surface 53: Fixing body 120: Positioning member 112: Positioning part

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a heat storage device used in a thermoacoustic device, A lamination process to obtain a laminate by stacking multiple metal meshes, A compression step of pressing the laminate and holding it in a compressed state, A fixing step is to fix the outer surface of the laminate, which is held in the compressed state during the compression step, by placing a fixing body on the outer surface of the laminate. Includes, The aforementioned fixing body is made of rubber. A method for manufacturing a heat storage device.

2. The method for manufacturing a heat storage device according to claim 1, wherein the rubber is liquid rubber.

3. The lamination process includes a step of bringing the positioning portions of a positioning member, which has a plurality of positioning portions arranged at intervals from each other, into contact with the outer edges of the plurality of metal meshes. A method for manufacturing a heat storage device according to claim 2.

4. A heat storage device used in a thermoacoustic device, A laminate in which multiple metal meshes are stacked in a compressed state, A fixing body fixed to the outer surface of the laminate, Equipped with, A heat storage device in which the aforementioned fixed body is made of rubber.

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