We explore characteristics of onset and damping in a thermoacoustic engine (TE) driven by cryogens instead of conventional heat sources above the ambient temperature by a comprehensive study of a self-made standing-wa...We explore characteristics of onset and damping in a thermoacoustic engine (TE) driven by cryogens instead of conventional heat sources above the ambient temperature by a comprehensive study of a self-made standing-wave thermoacoustic engine driven by liquid nitrogen. The experiments verify the feasibility of enhancing the thermoacoustic oscillation at cryogenic temperatures. The onset temperature difference along the stack of the TE significantly decreases, compared with that of a conventional TE driven by high-temperature heat sources. The resonance frequency of the cryogen-driven TE is smaller than that of the heat-source-driven TE, mainly due to the lower average temperature of the working gas. Experiments and calculations show that the temperature discrepancy between onset and damping is partly caused by the linear temperature distribution along the stack before damping, together with the nonlinear distribution before onset. These results will contribute to a better understanding of thermoacoustic oscillation and to the recovery of the cold energy of cryogens.展开更多
Onset mechanism is one of the most fundamental issues in thermoacoustic field.However,the onset conditions and the phenomena happening in the onset process have not been well explained theoretically.In this paper,a no...Onset mechanism is one of the most fundamental issues in thermoacoustic field.However,the onset conditions and the phenomena happening in the onset process have not been well explained theoretically.In this paper,a novel model based on the circuit network analogy is proposed to predict the onset temperature of a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine.The activity and instability criteria are proposed to be the onset criteria in the model.The influences of the porosity of the heat exchanger and the stack,and the length of the resonant tube on the onset temperature are analyzed.The calculated results are in agreement with the experimental results,which indicates that the activity and instability criteria can be used to predict the onset conditions of a thermoacoustic engine.展开更多
The standing-wave thermoacoustic engines(TAE)are applied in practice to convert thermal power into acoustic one to generate electricity or to drive cooling devices.Although there is a number of existing numerical rese...The standing-wave thermoacoustic engines(TAE)are applied in practice to convert thermal power into acoustic one to generate electricity or to drive cooling devices.Although there is a number of existing numerical researches that provides a design tool for predicting standing-wave TAE performances,few existing works that compare TAE driven by cryogenic liquids and waste heat,and optimize its performance by varying the stack plate spacing.This present work is primarily concerned with the numerical investigation of the performance of TAEs driven by cryogenic liquids and waste heat.For this,three-dimensional(3-D)standing-wave TAE models are developed.Mesh-and time-independence studies are conducted first.Model validations are then performed by comparing with the numerical results available in the literature.The validated model is then applied to simulate the standing-wave TAEs driven by the cryogenic liquids and the waste heat,as the temperature gradientΔT is varied.It is found that limit cycle oscillations in both systems are successfully generated and the oscillations amplitude is increased with increasedΔT.Nonlinearity is identified with acoustic streaming and the flow reversal occurring through the stack.Comparison studied are then conducted between the cryogenic liquid-driven TAE and that driven by waste heat in the presence of the same temperature gradientΔT.It is shown that the limit cycle frequency of the cryogenic liquid system is 4.72%smaller and the critical temperatureΔT_(cri)=131 K is lower than that of the waste heat system(ΔT_(cri)=187 K).Furthermore,the acoustic power is increased by 31%and the energy conversion efficiency is found to increase by 0.42%.Finally,optimization studies on the stack plate spacing are conducted in TAE system driven by cryogenic liquids.It is found that the limit cycle oscillation frequency is increased with the decreased ratio between the stack plate spacing and the heat penetration depth.When the ratio is set to between 2 and 3,the overall performance of the cryogenic liquid-driven TAE has been greatly improved.In summary,the present model can be used as a design tool to evaluate standing-wave TAE performances with detailed thermodynamics and acoustics characteristics.The present findings provide useful guidance for the design and optimization of high-efficiency standing-wave TAE for recovering low-temperature fluids or heat sources.展开更多
This paper attempts to present some registers of sound pressure levels during the operation of large diesel engines (10 MW). During these registers we have found the preparation, occurrence and ending of events of the...This paper attempts to present some registers of sound pressure levels during the operation of large diesel engines (10 MW). During these registers we have found the preparation, occurrence and ending of events of thermoacoustic instability. They appear after a loosing of chaos period or a reduction in fluctuations in some frequencies. The most interesting phenomena were registered at low frequencies. However, they were accompanied by variations in sound emissions at medium and high frequencies. As there has been very little published data concerning these phenomena at real scale, it is imperative to point out that every quasi-stationary state we have measured during these episodes has lasted some minutes, significantly much more time than that of lab scale results.展开更多
This paper presents the development and assessment of two low-cost, travelling wave, thermoacoustic generators operating by waste heat energy from cooking stove. One powered by waste heat from a propane-driven stove, ...This paper presents the development and assessment of two low-cost, travelling wave, thermoacoustic generators operating by waste heat energy from cooking stove. One powered by waste heat from a propane-driven stove, the other powered by waste heat from a wood-burning stove. The propane-driven thermoacoustic generator was successfully demonstrated to produce approximately 15 watts of electricity using a commercial audio loudspeaker. The wood-burning thermoacoustic generator was successfully constructed and tested to generate a maximum of 22.7 watts of electricity under a pressurised condition. The latter has a high potential to be used by over 1.5 billion people in rural communities for applications such as LED lighting, charging mobile phones or charging a 12V battery. A comprehensive power assessment of the propane-driving generator as well as the development and performance assessment of the wood-burning generator are described throughout this article.展开更多
An acoustic pressure amplifier (APA) is capable of improving the match between a thermoacoustic engine and a load by elevating pressure ratio and acoustic power output. A standing-wave thermoacoustic engine driving a ...An acoustic pressure amplifier (APA) is capable of improving the match between a thermoacoustic engine and a load by elevating pressure ratio and acoustic power output. A standing-wave thermoacoustic engine driving a resistance- and-compliance (RC) load through an APA was simulated with linear thermoacoustics to study the impact of load impedance on the performance of the thermoacoustic system. Based on the simulation results, analysis focuses on the distribution of pressure amplitude and velocity amplitude in APA with an RC load of diverse acoustic resistances and compliance impedances. Variation of operating parameters, including pressure ratio, acoustic power, hot end temperature of stack, etc., versus impedance of the RC load is presented and analyzed according to the abovementioned distribution. A verifying experiment has been performed, which indicates that the simulation can roughly predict the system operation in the fundamental-frequency mode.展开更多
The reported discrepancy between theory and experiment for external combustion Stirling engines is explained by the addition of thermal resistance of the combustion gasses to the standard Carnot model. In these cases,...The reported discrepancy between theory and experiment for external combustion Stirling engines is explained by the addition of thermal resistance of the combustion gasses to the standard Carnot model. In these cases, the Stirling engine ideal efficiency is not as is normally reported equal to the Carnot cycle efficiency but is significantly lower. A new equation for ideal Stirling engine efficiency when the heat is obtained through external combustion without pre-heating the air, is presented and results for various fuels tabulated. The results show that petrol and diesel, internal combustion engines (Otto cycle) have a higher ideal efficiency than the Stirling engine. When comparing thermoacoustic engines heated by wood, efficiency should not be quoted as a percentage of the Carnot efficiency, but against a figure 48% lower than Carnot. The effect is not seen with electrically heated rigs, solar or nuclear fission heated engines.展开更多
This paper analyzes the onset characteristics of a miniature thermoacoustic Stirling heat engine using the ther-modynamic analysis method. The governing equations of components are reduced from the basic thermodynamic...This paper analyzes the onset characteristics of a miniature thermoacoustic Stirling heat engine using the ther-modynamic analysis method. The governing equations of components are reduced from the basic thermodynamic relations and the linear thermoacoustic theory. By solving the governing equation group numerically, the oscillation frequencies and onset temperatures are obtained. The dependences of the kinds of working gas, the length of resonator tube, the diameter of resonator tube, on the oscillation frequency are calculated. Meanwhile, the influences of hydraulic radius and mean pressure on the onset temperature for different working gas are also presented. The calculation results indicate that there exists an optimal dimensionless hydraulic radius to obtain the lowest onset temperature, whose value lies in the range of 0.30 0.35 for different working gases. Furthermore, the amplitude and phase relationship of pressures and volume flows are analyzed in the time-domain. Some experiments have been performed to validate the calculations. The calculation results agree well with the experimental values. Finally, an error analysis is made, giving the reasons that cause the errors of theoretical calculations.展开更多
The network method for modeling thermoacoustic engines is described. Some simulation results on acoustic fields and phases in engine, especially in the thermoacoustic stack are presented and analyzed. The effects of s...The network method for modeling thermoacoustic engines is described. Some simulation results on acoustic fields and phases in engine, especially in the thermoacoustic stack are presented and analyzed. The effects of some key factors on performance of stack and engine system are simulated and discussed. These effect factors include the spaces of plates of stack, the position of stack in engine system, the source parameter of stack, and the mean working pressure of the engine system.展开更多
Pressure ratio is one of the important parameters for evaluating a thermoacoustic heat en- gine. A so-called acoustical pump, which is capable of significantly increasing pressure ratio of a ther- moacoustic heat engi...Pressure ratio is one of the important parameters for evaluating a thermoacoustic heat en- gine. A so-called acoustical pump, which is capable of significantly increasing pressure ratio of a ther- moacoustic heat engine, is proposed. Its operating principle is given. Also, a verification experiment is done with nitrogen gas in the energy-focused ther- moacoustic heat engine, showing that the pressure ratio increased from 1.25 to 1.47.展开更多
Gas-liquid coupling oscillation is a novel approach to reducing the resonant frequency and to elevating the pressure amplitude of a thermoacoustic engine.If a thermoacoustic engine is used to drive low-frequency pulse...Gas-liquid coupling oscillation is a novel approach to reducing the resonant frequency and to elevating the pressure amplitude of a thermoacoustic engine.If a thermoacoustic engine is used to drive low-frequency pulse tube refrigerators,the frequency matching between the thermoacoustic engine and the refrigerator plays an important role.Based on an acoustic-electric analogy,a lumped parameter model is proposed to estimate the resonant frequency of a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine with gas-liquid coupling oscillation.Furthermore,a simplified lumped parameter model is also developed to reduce the computation complexity.The resonant frequency dependence on the mean pressure,the gas space volume,and the water column length is computed and analyzed.The impact of different working gases on the resonant frequency is also discussed.The effectiveness of the models is validated by comparing the computed results with the experimental data of the gas-liquid coupling oscillation system.An increase in the mean working pressure can lead to a rise in the resonant frequency,and a lower resonant frequency can be achieved by elongating the liquid column.In comparison with nitrogen and argon,carbon dioxide can realize a lower frequency due to a smaller specific heat ratio.展开更多
The aim of this paper is to present the design and experimental validation process for a thermoacoustic looped-tube engine.The design procedure consists of numerical modelling of the system using DELTA EC tool,Design ...The aim of this paper is to present the design and experimental validation process for a thermoacoustic looped-tube engine.The design procedure consists of numerical modelling of the system using DELTA EC tool,Design Environment for Low-amplitude ThermoAcoustic Energy Conversion,in particular the effects of mean pressure and regenerator configuration on the pressure amplitude and acoustic power generated.This is followed by the construction of a practical engine system equipped with a ceramic regenerator-a substrate used in automotive catalytic converters with fine square channels.The preliminary testing results are obtained and compared with the simulations in detail.The measurement results agree very well on the qualitative level and are reasonably close in the quantitative sense.展开更多
基金supported by the National Science Funds for Distinguished Young Scholars (50825601)the National Basic Research Program of China(2010CB227303)
文摘We explore characteristics of onset and damping in a thermoacoustic engine (TE) driven by cryogens instead of conventional heat sources above the ambient temperature by a comprehensive study of a self-made standing-wave thermoacoustic engine driven by liquid nitrogen. The experiments verify the feasibility of enhancing the thermoacoustic oscillation at cryogenic temperatures. The onset temperature difference along the stack of the TE significantly decreases, compared with that of a conventional TE driven by high-temperature heat sources. The resonance frequency of the cryogen-driven TE is smaller than that of the heat-source-driven TE, mainly due to the lower average temperature of the working gas. Experiments and calculations show that the temperature discrepancy between onset and damping is partly caused by the linear temperature distribution along the stack before damping, together with the nonlinear distribution before onset. These results will contribute to a better understanding of thermoacoustic oscillation and to the recovery of the cold energy of cryogens.
基金supported by the National Funds for Distinguished Young Scientists of China (Grant No. 50825601)partly by the National Basic Research Program of China ("973" Program) (Grant No. 2010CB-227303)
文摘Onset mechanism is one of the most fundamental issues in thermoacoustic field.However,the onset conditions and the phenomena happening in the onset process have not been well explained theoretically.In this paper,a novel model based on the circuit network analogy is proposed to predict the onset temperature of a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine.The activity and instability criteria are proposed to be the onset criteria in the model.The influences of the porosity of the heat exchanger and the stack,and the length of the resonant tube on the onset temperature are analyzed.The calculated results are in agreement with the experimental results,which indicates that the activity and instability criteria can be used to predict the onset conditions of a thermoacoustic engine.
基金the financial support (452DISDZ) from University of Canterbury, New ZealandUniversity of Canterbury for providing PhD scholarship。
文摘The standing-wave thermoacoustic engines(TAE)are applied in practice to convert thermal power into acoustic one to generate electricity or to drive cooling devices.Although there is a number of existing numerical researches that provides a design tool for predicting standing-wave TAE performances,few existing works that compare TAE driven by cryogenic liquids and waste heat,and optimize its performance by varying the stack plate spacing.This present work is primarily concerned with the numerical investigation of the performance of TAEs driven by cryogenic liquids and waste heat.For this,three-dimensional(3-D)standing-wave TAE models are developed.Mesh-and time-independence studies are conducted first.Model validations are then performed by comparing with the numerical results available in the literature.The validated model is then applied to simulate the standing-wave TAEs driven by the cryogenic liquids and the waste heat,as the temperature gradientΔT is varied.It is found that limit cycle oscillations in both systems are successfully generated and the oscillations amplitude is increased with increasedΔT.Nonlinearity is identified with acoustic streaming and the flow reversal occurring through the stack.Comparison studied are then conducted between the cryogenic liquid-driven TAE and that driven by waste heat in the presence of the same temperature gradientΔT.It is shown that the limit cycle frequency of the cryogenic liquid system is 4.72%smaller and the critical temperatureΔT_(cri)=131 K is lower than that of the waste heat system(ΔT_(cri)=187 K).Furthermore,the acoustic power is increased by 31%and the energy conversion efficiency is found to increase by 0.42%.Finally,optimization studies on the stack plate spacing are conducted in TAE system driven by cryogenic liquids.It is found that the limit cycle oscillation frequency is increased with the decreased ratio between the stack plate spacing and the heat penetration depth.When the ratio is set to between 2 and 3,the overall performance of the cryogenic liquid-driven TAE has been greatly improved.In summary,the present model can be used as a design tool to evaluate standing-wave TAE performances with detailed thermodynamics and acoustics characteristics.The present findings provide useful guidance for the design and optimization of high-efficiency standing-wave TAE for recovering low-temperature fluids or heat sources.
文摘This paper attempts to present some registers of sound pressure levels during the operation of large diesel engines (10 MW). During these registers we have found the preparation, occurrence and ending of events of thermoacoustic instability. They appear after a loosing of chaos period or a reduction in fluctuations in some frequencies. The most interesting phenomena were registered at low frequencies. However, they were accompanied by variations in sound emissions at medium and high frequencies. As there has been very little published data concerning these phenomena at real scale, it is imperative to point out that every quasi-stationary state we have measured during these episodes has lasted some minutes, significantly much more time than that of lab scale results.
文摘This paper presents the development and assessment of two low-cost, travelling wave, thermoacoustic generators operating by waste heat energy from cooking stove. One powered by waste heat from a propane-driven stove, the other powered by waste heat from a wood-burning stove. The propane-driven thermoacoustic generator was successfully demonstrated to produce approximately 15 watts of electricity using a commercial audio loudspeaker. The wood-burning thermoacoustic generator was successfully constructed and tested to generate a maximum of 22.7 watts of electricity under a pressurised condition. The latter has a high potential to be used by over 1.5 billion people in rural communities for applications such as LED lighting, charging mobile phones or charging a 12V battery. A comprehensive power assessment of the propane-driving generator as well as the development and performance assessment of the wood-burning generator are described throughout this article.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (No. 50536040)the University Doctoral Subject Special Foundation of China (No. 20050335047)+1 种基金the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (No. 2006-bsh-21)the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (No. Y107229), China
文摘An acoustic pressure amplifier (APA) is capable of improving the match between a thermoacoustic engine and a load by elevating pressure ratio and acoustic power output. A standing-wave thermoacoustic engine driving a resistance- and-compliance (RC) load through an APA was simulated with linear thermoacoustics to study the impact of load impedance on the performance of the thermoacoustic system. Based on the simulation results, analysis focuses on the distribution of pressure amplitude and velocity amplitude in APA with an RC load of diverse acoustic resistances and compliance impedances. Variation of operating parameters, including pressure ratio, acoustic power, hot end temperature of stack, etc., versus impedance of the RC load is presented and analyzed according to the abovementioned distribution. A verifying experiment has been performed, which indicates that the simulation can roughly predict the system operation in the fundamental-frequency mode.
文摘The reported discrepancy between theory and experiment for external combustion Stirling engines is explained by the addition of thermal resistance of the combustion gasses to the standard Carnot model. In these cases, the Stirling engine ideal efficiency is not as is normally reported equal to the Carnot cycle efficiency but is significantly lower. A new equation for ideal Stirling engine efficiency when the heat is obtained through external combustion without pre-heating the air, is presented and results for various fuels tabulated. The results show that petrol and diesel, internal combustion engines (Otto cycle) have a higher ideal efficiency than the Stirling engine. When comparing thermoacoustic engines heated by wood, efficiency should not be quoted as a percentage of the Carnot efficiency, but against a figure 48% lower than Carnot. The effect is not seen with electrically heated rigs, solar or nuclear fission heated engines.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 10904154)
文摘This paper analyzes the onset characteristics of a miniature thermoacoustic Stirling heat engine using the ther-modynamic analysis method. The governing equations of components are reduced from the basic thermodynamic relations and the linear thermoacoustic theory. By solving the governing equation group numerically, the oscillation frequencies and onset temperatures are obtained. The dependences of the kinds of working gas, the length of resonator tube, the diameter of resonator tube, on the oscillation frequency are calculated. Meanwhile, the influences of hydraulic radius and mean pressure on the onset temperature for different working gas are also presented. The calculation results indicate that there exists an optimal dimensionless hydraulic radius to obtain the lowest onset temperature, whose value lies in the range of 0.30 0.35 for different working gases. Furthermore, the amplitude and phase relationship of pressures and volume flows are analyzed in the time-domain. Some experiments have been performed to validate the calculations. The calculation results agree well with the experimental values. Finally, an error analysis is made, giving the reasons that cause the errors of theoretical calculations.
基金This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No.59706003).
文摘The network method for modeling thermoacoustic engines is described. Some simulation results on acoustic fields and phases in engine, especially in the thermoacoustic stack are presented and analyzed. The effects of some key factors on performance of stack and engine system are simulated and discussed. These effect factors include the spaces of plates of stack, the position of stack in engine system, the source parameter of stack, and the mean working pressure of the engine system.
基金supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.KJCX2-SW12-12-0)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No 50536040).
文摘Pressure ratio is one of the important parameters for evaluating a thermoacoustic heat en- gine. A so-called acoustical pump, which is capable of significantly increasing pressure ratio of a ther- moacoustic heat engine, is proposed. Its operating principle is given. Also, a verification experiment is done with nitrogen gas in the energy-focused ther- moacoustic heat engine, showing that the pressure ratio increased from 1.25 to 1.47.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.50806065)the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (No.200803351053)
文摘Gas-liquid coupling oscillation is a novel approach to reducing the resonant frequency and to elevating the pressure amplitude of a thermoacoustic engine.If a thermoacoustic engine is used to drive low-frequency pulse tube refrigerators,the frequency matching between the thermoacoustic engine and the refrigerator plays an important role.Based on an acoustic-electric analogy,a lumped parameter model is proposed to estimate the resonant frequency of a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine with gas-liquid coupling oscillation.Furthermore,a simplified lumped parameter model is also developed to reduce the computation complexity.The resonant frequency dependence on the mean pressure,the gas space volume,and the water column length is computed and analyzed.The impact of different working gases on the resonant frequency is also discussed.The effectiveness of the models is validated by comparing the computed results with the experimental data of the gas-liquid coupling oscillation system.An increase in the mean working pressure can lead to a rise in the resonant frequency,and a lower resonant frequency can be achieved by elongating the liquid column.In comparison with nitrogen and argon,carbon dioxide can realize a lower frequency due to a smaller specific heat ratio.
基金the University of Bahrain for sponsoring the PhD programme of the first authorEPSRC UK for supporting this research under grants GR/T04502/01 and GR/T04519/01
文摘The aim of this paper is to present the design and experimental validation process for a thermoacoustic looped-tube engine.The design procedure consists of numerical modelling of the system using DELTA EC tool,Design Environment for Low-amplitude ThermoAcoustic Energy Conversion,in particular the effects of mean pressure and regenerator configuration on the pressure amplitude and acoustic power generated.This is followed by the construction of a practical engine system equipped with a ceramic regenerator-a substrate used in automotive catalytic converters with fine square channels.The preliminary testing results are obtained and compared with the simulations in detail.The measurement results agree very well on the qualitative level and are reasonably close in the quantitative sense.