Hello I'm a BSc physics student at exeter university (UK), and I'm working on a thermo acoustic refrigerator.

I don't know how much you know about thermo acoustic refrigeration but I'm building what is called a TADTAR (Thermo Acoustically Driven Thermo Acoustic Refrigerator).

Basically the device is a pressure vessel with two (Reticulated Vitreous Carbon) inserts called stacks. One stack acts as a heat engine, in that you heat one end of it and it emmits sound. This sound wave oscillates across an identical stack at the other end and "pumps" small packets of heat across it to induct a temperature gradient and so a net cooling.

My problem is heating the prime mover stack tothe required 400 C

The pressure vessel has an inside diameter of 39mm so whatever is heating it has to be small. I'm considering using a nickel crome element but electrically insulating it from the RVC stack would be hard.

Does anyone have any suggestion?

Thanks for your help,

Jack