Numerical analysis on thermoacoustic engine using network method

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.

Temperature Difference and Stack Plate Spacing Effects on Thermodynamic Performances of Standing-Wave Thermoacoustic Engines Driven by Cryogenic Liquids and Waste Heat

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.

Lumped parameter model for resonant frequency estimation of a thermoacoustic engine with gas-liquid coupling oscillation

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.