Coupling of regenerator and end load in a standing wave thermoacoustic engine

Abstract

In the thermoacoustic system, the performance of regenerator strongly depends on the acoustic field. To study the thermoacoustic characteristics of regenerator in different acoustic field, a model of loudspeaker-driven thermoacoustic system with a RC load is built and simulated based on linear thermoacoustic theory. The thermoacoustic conversion efficiency of regenerator is calculated by changing three parameters: the resistance R, the regenerator's position and the hydraulic radius. The results show that the acoustic fields in the system vary with the RC load in a wide range and the performance of the regenerator is also influenced by the RC load. The further analyses reveal that the efficiency of the regenerator can be improved by optimizing the hydraulic radius and the position of regenerator in the resonance tube. The research is useful for us to understand the thermoacoustic characteristic of the regenerator in different acoustic fields.