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A refrigerator includes a gas flow generator formed with passages providing communication between an annular inlet chamber and a gas flow chamber, so that gas under pressure in the inlet chamber flows through the passages into the gas flow chamber. An energy transfer tube has a cylindrical interior

A refrigerator includes a gas flow generator formed with passages providing communication between an annular inlet chamber and a gas flow chamber, so that gas under pressure in the inlet chamber flows through the passages into the gas flow chamber. An energy transfer tube has a cylindrical interior space in communication with the gas flow chamber at one end of the tube and a throttle valve is installed in the energy transfer tube at its opposite end. An acoustic tone at a frequency in the range between about 1 kHz and about 20 kHz is spontaneously generated in the energy transfer tube when gas at a pressure exceeding about 100 psig is supplied to the inlet chamber.

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The invention claimed is: 1. A refrigerator comprising: an inlet device for receiving a flow of gas under pressure, the inlet device having a cylindrical interior surface bounding an inlet chamber outwardly, a gas flow generator having a cylindrical exterior surface bounding the inlet chamber inwar

The invention claimed is: 1. A refrigerator comprising: an inlet device for receiving a flow of gas under pressure, the inlet device having a cylindrical interior surface bounding an inlet chamber outwardly, a gas flow generator having a cylindrical exterior surface bounding the inlet chamber inwardly and also having a cylindrical interior surface bounding a gas flow chamber, the gas flow generator having inclined passages that provide communication between the inlet chamber and the gas flow chamber, so that gas under pressure in the inlet chamber flows through the passages and into the gas flow chamber, an energy transfer tube having first and second ends and having a cylindrical interior space in communication with the gas flow chamber, the second end of the energy transfer tube having a least one port at a location adjacent to the tube for allowing gas to escape from inside the energy transfer tube, wherein an inner portion of each passage of the generator lies in a plane inclined at an angle in the range of 4 degrees to 30 degrees to a plane perpendicular to a central axis of the energy transfer tube, wherein each passage is not straight but rather is curved, the refrigerator being configured such that an acoustic tone is spontaneously generated in the energy transfer tube when gas at a pressure exceeding about 100 psig is supplied to the inlet chamber. 2. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the acoustic tone is generated adjacent to openings from the passages into the gas flow chamber. 3. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the acoustic tone is generated over substantially the entire length of the energy transfer tube. 4. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the acoustic tone has a frequency in the range of between about 1 kHz and about 1 kHz 5. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the acoustic tone has a frequency in the range of between about 1.5 kHz and about 4 kHz 6. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the inlet device has an inlet passage through which the flow of gas under pressure is delivered to reach the inlet chamber, the inlet chamber having a radius, wherein the inlet passage is oblique to the radius of the inlet chamber. 7. The refrigerator of claim 1 further comprising an acoustic dampener tube through which the energy transfer tube extends. 8. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the gas flow generator has between four and eight passages that provide communication between the inlet chamber and the gas flow chamber. 9. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein a central axis of each passage at an inner end is at an angle of about 2-4 degrees to a central axis of the passage at an outer end. 10. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the second end of the energy transfer tube is provided with a throttle valve. 11. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein each passage of the generator has a diameter of 0.0625 inch or less. 12. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein the refrigerator is configured such that compressed gas flowing through the inlet device and into the inlet chamber passes through the passages in the generator and into the gas flow chamber, which causes a revolving outer flow to pass through the energy transfer tube toward the second end of the tube, wherein some of this revolving flow escapes from the tube through said port but a major portion returns through the tube in a revolving inner flow that moves toward the first end of the tube and escapes through an outlet. 13. A refrigerator comprising: an inlet device for receiving a flow of gas under pressure, the inlet device having a cylindrical interior surface bounding an inlet chamber outwardly, a gas flow generator having a cylindrical exterior surface bounding the inlet chamber inwardly and also having a cylindrical interior surface bounding a gas flow chamber, the gas flow generator having inclined passages that provide communication between the inlet chamber and the gas flow chamber, so that gas under pressure in the inlet chamber flows through the passages into the gas flow chamber, wherein an inner portion of each passage of the generator lies in a plane inclined at an angle in the range of 4 degrees to 30 degrees to a plane perpendicular to a central axis of the energy transfer tube, wherein each passage is not straight but rather is curved, an energy transfer tube having a length extending between first and second ends and having a cylindrical interior space in communication with the gas flow chamber, the second end of the energy transfer tube having a least one port at a location adjacent to the tube for allowing gas to escape from inside the energy transfer tube, wherein compressed gas flowing through the inlet device and into the inlet chamber passes through the passages of the generator and into the gas flow chamber, which causes a revolving outer flow to pass through the energy transfer tube toward the second end of the tube, wherein some of this revolving flow escapes from the tube through said port but a major portion returns through the tube in a revolving inner flow that moves toward the first end of the tube and escapes through an outlet, the refrigerator being configured to generate an acoustic tone over substantially the entire length of the energy transfer tube when gas at a supply pressure exceeding about 100 psig is supplied to the inlet device. 14. The refrigerator of claim 13 wherein the inlet device has an inlet passage through which the flow of gas under pressure is delivered to reach the inlet chamber, the inlet chamber having a radius, wherein the inlet passage is oblique to the radius of the inlet chamber. 15. A method of generating a flow of cool air, the method comprising: providing a refrigerator that includes an inlet device for receiving a flow of gas under pressure, the inlet device having a cylindrical interior surface bounding an inlet chamber outwardly, a gas flow generator having a cylindrical exterior surface bounding the inlet chamber inwardly and also having a cylindrical interior surface bounding a gas flow chamber, the gas flow generator having inclined passages that provide communication between the inlet chamber and the gas flow chamber, so that gas under pressure in the inlet chamber flows through the passages into the gas flow chamber, wherein an inner portion of each passage of the generator lies in a plane inclined at an angle in the range of 4 degrees to 30 degrees to a plane perpendicular to a central axis of the energy transfer tube, wherein each passage is not straight but rather is curved, an energy transfer tube having a length extending between first and second ends and having a cylindrical interior space in communication with the gas flow chamber, the second end of the energy transfer tube having a least one port at a location adjacent to the tube for allowing gas to escape from inside the energy transfer tube; and flowing compressed gas through the inlet device, into the inlet chamber, through the inclined passages of the generator and into the gas flow chamber, thereby causing a revolving outer flow to pass through the energy transfer tube toward the second end of the tube, wherein some of this revolving flow escapes from the tube through said port but a major portion returns through the tube in a revolving inner flow that moves toward the first end of the tube and escapes through an outlet tube at the first end of the energy transfer tube, wherein an acoustic tone is generated in the energy transfer tube. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the inlet device has an inlet passage through which the flow of gas under pressure is delivered to reach the inlet chamber, the inlet chamber having a radius, wherein the inlet passage is oblique to the radius of the inlet chamber. 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the acoustic tone is generated over substantially the entire length of the energy transfer tube. 18. The method of claim 15 wherein the acoustic tone has a frequency in the range of between about 1 kHz and about 12 kHz. 19. The method of claim 15 wherein said revolving flows spin at less than 750,000 rotations per minute. 20. A refrigerator comprising: an inlet device for receiving a flow of gas under pressure, the inlet device having a cylindrical interior surface bounding an inlet chamber outwardly, a gas flow generator located coaxially of the inlet device and having a cylindrical exterior surface bounding the inlet chamber inwardly and also having a cylindrical interior surface bounding a gas flow chamber, the gas flow generator being formed with passages providing communication between the inlet chamber and the gas flow chamber, so that gas under pressure in the inlet chamber flows through the passages into the gas flow chamber, an energy transfer tube having first and second opposite ends, the energy transfer tube being connected at its first end to the inlet assembly and having a cylindrical interior space in communication with the gas flow chamber, a throttle valve installed in the energy transfer tube at the second end thereof, the throttle valve including a baffle portion that substantially blocks the cylindrical interior space of the energy transfer tube and being formed with at least one port for allowing gas to escape from the interior space of the energy transfer tube at a location adjacent to the tube, the throttle valve being movable lengthwise of the energy transfer tube for selective adjustment of the effective length of the energy transfer tube, and wherein the passages formed in the gas flow generator each have an inner portion that is inclined at a first acute angle to said inner cylindrical surface, an outer portion that is inclined at a second acute angle to said cylindrical exterior surface, and a curved intermediate portion joining the outer portion and inner portion, and the inner portion of each passage formed in the gas flow generator lies in a plane that is inclined at an angle in the range from 4 degrees to 30 degrees to a plane that is perpendicular to the central axis of the energy transfer tube, and wherein the refrigerator is configured such that an acoustic tone at a frequency in the range between about 1 kHz and about 20 kHz is spontaneously generated in the energy transfer tube when gas at a pressure exceeding about 100 psig is supplied to the inlet chamber. 21. The refrigerator of claim 20 wherein the refrigerator is configured such that the acoustic tone is spontaneously generated in the energy transfer tube over substantially the entire length of the energy transfer tube. 22. The refrigerator of claim 20 wherein the second acute angle is in the range from 20 degrees to 50 degrees. 23. The refrigerator of claim 22 wherein the second acute angle is in the range from 38 degrees to 42 degrees. 24. The refrigerator of claim 20 wherein the frequency is in the range from about 1 kHz to about 4 kHz. 25. A method of generating a flow of cool air comprising: providing a refrigerator that comprises an inlet device for receiving a flow of gas under pressure, the inlet device having a cylindrical interior surface bounding an inlet chamber outwardly, a gas flow generator located coaxially of the inlet device and having a cylindrical exterior surface bounding the inlet chamber inwardly and also having a cylindrical interior surface bounding a gas flow chamber, the gas flow generator being formed with passages providing communication between the inlet chamber and the gas flow chamber, so that gas under pressure in the inlet chamber flows through the passages into the gas flow chamber, an energy transfer tube having first and second opposite ends, the energy transfer tube being connected at its first end to the inlet assembly and having a cylindrical interior space in communication with the gas flow chamber, a throttle valve installed in the energy transfer tube at the second end thereof, the throttle valve including a baffle portion that substantially blocks the cylindrical interior space of the energy transfer tube and being formed with at least one port for allowing gas to escape from the interior space of the energy transfer tube at a location adjacent to the tube, the throttle valve being movable lengthwise of the energy transfer tube for selective adjustment of the effective length of the energy transfer tube, wherein the passages formed in the gas flow generator each have an inner portion that is inclined at a first acute angle to said inner cylindrical surface, an outer portion that is inclined at a second acute angle to said cylindrical exterior surface, and a curved intermediate portion joining the outer portion and inner portion, and the inner portion of each passage formed in the gas flow generator lies in a plane that is inclined at an angle in the range from 4 degrees to 30 degrees to a plane that is perpendicular to the central axis of the energy transfer tube, and wherein the method comprises supplying compressed gas to the refrigerator at a pressure exceeding about 100 psig to the inlet chamber, the refrigerator being configured such that an acoustic tone at a frequency in the range between about 1 kHz and about 20 kHz is spontaneously generated in the energy transfer tube. 26. The refrigerator of claim 1 wherein each passage has an inlet that is elongated about a periphery of the generator so as to have a taper at the inlet, and wherein each passage is of uniform diameter inward of the taper. 27. The refrigerator of claim 13 wherein each passage has an inlet that is elongated about a periphery of the generator so as to have a taper at the inlet, and wherein each passage is of uniform diameter inward of the taper. 28. The method of claim 15 wherein each passage has an inlet that is elongated about a periphery of the generator so as to have a taper at the inlet, and wherein each passage is of uniform diameter inward of the taper. 29. The refrigerator of claim 20 wherein each passage has an inlet that is elongated about a periphery of the generator so as to have a taper at the inlet, and wherein each passage is of uniform diameter inward of the taper. 30. The method of claim 25 wherein each passage has an inlet that is elongated about a periphery of the generator so as to have a taper at the inlet, and wherein each passage is of uniform diameter inward of the taper.