Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : December 14, 2024
A thermoacoustic engine is an external combustion engine that can use low-temperature heat sources and has a simple structure that is easy to maintain, so it has received much attention for its potential use of industrial waste heat. There are two types of thermoacoustic engines: those driven by standing waves and those driven by travelling waves, the latter being theoretically more efficient. A loop-type thermoacoustic engine driven by travelling waves is thermally efficient but requires large space. This study focuses on a coaxial thermoacoustic engine. This is because it has smaller size than a conventional looped tube thermoacoustic engine. The coaxial thermoacoustic engine has a "Turn section" where the flow path bends 180 degrees. The turn section causes energy loss. The objective of this study is to investigate the energy loss at the Turn section. Experimental results indicated that the energy loss at the Turn section was dominated by minor loss, which is proportional to the cube of velocity amplitude, and the coefficient for energy loss was determined.
