A Study of Element Interactions in Thermoacoustic Engines

Abstract

The general performance of a thermoacoustic prime mover or refrigerator is reasonably well understood. There are notable discrepancies between theory and experiment. These discrepancies are typically attributed to nonlinear terms not included in the theory. There is evidence, however, that interactions between elements in the thermoacoustic device are at least partially responsible. An experimental investigation of the element interactions in a thermoacoustic prime mover and comparison to theoretical predictions was undertaken in this dissertation to minimize the temperature difference across the stack necessary to achieve onset of self oscillations (Delta T). This was accomplished by varying the position or physical dimensions of the thermoacoustic system or elements to modify the interactions and modifying the working fluid properties through binary mixing.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1996
Accession Number
ADA342145

Entities

People

  • Henry E. Bass
  • James R. Belcher
  • Richard Raspet

Organizations

  • University of Mississippi

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acoustic Impedance
  • Acoustic Propagation
  • Acoustic Waves
  • Acoustics
  • Conduction (Heat Transfer)
  • Convection
  • Data Acquisition
  • Differential Equations
  • Energy
  • Energy Transfer
  • Heat Energy
  • Heat Transfer
  • Standing Waves
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Thermal Conductivity
  • Thermodynamics
  • Transport Properties

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Electrical Engineering