Performance optimization of the regenerator of a looped thermoacoustic engine powered by low-grade heat

Yang, Rui; Wang, Yi; Jin, Tao; Feng, Yanhui; Tang, Ke

doi:10.1002/er.4192

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…For extracting the output acoustic power, a variable resistance‐and‐compliance (R‐C) load is installed near the air‐cooled cold heat exchanger . The R‐C load is composed of a gas reservoir and a needle valve (SWAGELOK SS‐1RS10MM).…”

Section: Experimental Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The valve resistance can be varied by adjusting the opening of needle valve. The output acoustic power extracted by the load is

W_{load} = \frac{normalπ {fV}_{r}}{γ p_{m}} ∣ p_{1, a} false‖ p_{1, normalb} ∣ \sin θ_{normala, normalb},

where V r is the volume of gas reservoir and γ represents the specific heat ratio of working fluid. p 1,a represents the pressure amplitude at the load inlet, while p 1,b represents the pressure amplitude at the gas reservoir.…”

Section: Experimental Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Performance of an air‐cooled looped thermoacoustic engine capable of recovering low‐grade thermal energy

et al. 2020

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Summary An air‐cooled looped thermoacoustic engine is designed and constructed, where an air‐cooled cold heat exchanger (consisting of copper heat transfer block, aluminum flange, and aluminum fin plate) is adopted to extract heat and the resonant tube is spiraled and shaped to fit to the available space. Experiments have been conducted to observe how onset temperature difference and resonant frequency are affected by mean pressure, working fluid, and diameter of compliance tube. Besides, the influences of temperature difference, mean pressure, working fluid and diameter of compliance tube on pressure amplitude, output acoustic power, and thermal efficiency of the system have been investigated. The air‐cooled looped thermoacoustic engine can start to oscillate at a lowest temperature difference of 46°C, with the working fluid of carbon dioxide at 2.34 MPa. A highest output acoustic power obtained is 6.65 W at a temperature difference of 199°C, with the working gas of helium at 2.58 MPa, and the thermal efficiency is 2.21%. This work verifies the feasibility of utilizing low‐grade thermal energy to drive an air‐cooled looped thermoacoustic engine and extends its application in the water deficient areas.

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Section: Experimental Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The valve resistance can be varied by adjusting the opening of needle valve. The output acoustic power extracted by the load is

W_{load} = \frac{normalπ {fV}_{r}}{γ p_{m}} ∣ p_{1, a} false‖ p_{1, normalb} ∣ \sin θ_{normala, normalb},

Section: Experimental Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance of an air‐cooled looped thermoacoustic engine capable of recovering low‐grade thermal energy

et al. 2020

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“…1 The working principle behind the TAEs is the thermoacoustic effect, which concerns mutual interaction between the acoustic and thermal fields around the solidfluid interfaces. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] The TAEs can be further transformed into electric power generators by acoustically coupling them with acoustic-to-electric transducers/converters, which provides novel alternative systems for power generation from low-grade thermal energy for niche applications. 9 So far, lots of efforts have been made toward the design and fabrication of robust acoustic-to-electric transducers for thermoacoustic power generators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…into acoustic oscillations with no moving parts . The working principle behind the TAEs is the thermoacoustic effect, which concerns mutual interaction between the acoustic and thermal fields around the solid‐fluid interfaces . The TAEs can be further transformed into electric power generators by acoustically coupling them with acoustic‐to‐electric transducers/converters, which provides novel alternative systems for power generation from low‐grade thermal energy for niche applications .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An electret‐based thermoacoustic‐electrostatic power generator

et al. 2019

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Summary This study reports a new concept for power generation from thermal energy, which integrates a thermoacoustic engine (TAE) with a contact‐free electret‐based electrostatic transducer. The TAE converts thermal energy into high‐intensity acoustic energy, while the electret‐based electrostatic transducer converts the generated acoustic energy into electricity. The experiments demonstrate the feasibility and potential of the proposed electret‐based thermoacoustic‐electrostatic power generator (TAEPG). The dynamic response of the electrostatic transducer and energy conversion inside the TAE are further investigated using a lumped element model and a frequency‐domain reduced‐order network model. Good agreement is achieved between experimental measurements and theoretical predictions. Furthermore, a parametric study is performed to study the effect of key parameters including the external heating power, air gap, and resistive load on the performance of the TAEPG. Results show that an open‐circuit voltage amplitude of 4.7 V is produced at a closed‐end pressure amplitude of 480 Pa in the experiment, and it is estimated that 25.2% of the acoustic power generated by the TAE has been extracted by the electret‐based electrostatic transducer. In this case, the maximum electric power output is measured to be 2.91 μW at a resistive load of around 2.2 MΩ. By increasing the external heating power, the TAEPG can produce a maximum voltage amplitude of 8 V. This work shows that the proposed concept has great potential for developing miniature heat‐driven power generators.

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“…Although the thermo-acoustic phenomenon is an old concept, the thermo-acoustic converters are known as new and advanced technologies ever presented. [5][6][7][8][9] So far, two types of thermo-acoustic converters, namely, standing-wave and traveling wave converters, have been proposed, each of which can be designed as an engine or refrigerator. The traveling wave thermo-acoustic Stirling engine (TASE) is a famous model of such converters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of a traveling wave thermo‐acoustic engine based on genetic algorithm

Zare

Tavakolpour-Saleh

2019

Int J Energy Res

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Summary This paper presents a novel design scheme for traveling wave thermo‐acoustic Stirling engines (TASEs) based on a target frequency using genetic algorithm (GA). First, the effects of engine design parameters on the system performance are studied via root locus method. Accordingly, it is found that the resonator length, the inertance diameter, and the hot gas temperature are the most effective parameters in the engine design procedure. Next, the relation between the closed‐loop poles positions of the thermo‐acoustic system and the effective design variables are described parametrically. Consequently, in order to estimate the optimum values of the effective design parameters as well as the unknown positions of the nondominant poles, an appropriate fitness function based on the desired engine frequency is proposed. Subsequently, a GA is used to achieve the optimal values of design parameters so as to minimize the considered cost function. Finally, the validity of the proposed design technique is verified by comparing the obtained results with the available data of an experimental case study.

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Performance optimization of the regenerator of a looped thermoacoustic engine powered by low-grade heat

Cited by 6 publications

References 26 publications

Performance of an air‐cooled looped thermoacoustic engine capable of recovering low‐grade thermal energy

Performance of an air‐cooled looped thermoacoustic engine capable of recovering low‐grade thermal energy

An electret‐based thermoacoustic‐electrostatic power generator

Design of a traveling wave thermo‐acoustic engine based on genetic algorithm

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