Numerical analysis of a traveling-wave thermoacoustic engine

Abstract

Thermoacoustic systems enable mutual energy conversion between heat and sound. Thermoacoustic devices have no moving parts, which makes them simple and reliable with a long lifespan. Thermoacoustic technology has been the subject of many research studies in the recent past because of its simplicity and potential uses in renewable energy systems. Numerical simulation plays a key role in the development of thermoacoustic systems. The computational fluid dynamics and thermoviscous acoustic simulation approaches are used for numerical analysis of a traveling-wave thermoacoustic engine in this study. The simulations are performed using the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics^®. The results are compared in terms of computational speed and accuracy.