Thermoacoustic Devices Research Articles

Microstructure design of a stack for independent control of thermal and viscous phenomena

\textit{Thermal and viscous energy conversion in a thermoacoustic device occurs inside a particular porous material, named stack/regenerator. Viscous losses and thermal exchanges arise thanks to the interaction of an acoustic field and the solid skeleton of a porous material. Its microstructure strongly influences the amount of energy which can be converted or dissipated due to viscous and thermal boundary layers. Thermal and viscous losses are strictly interconnected, meaning that by altering the pore size (i.e. the hydraulic radius) of the microstructure, both thermal and viscous effects are generally affected. However, there are cases where independent control of thermal or viscous effects could be crucial such as in the thermoacoustics devices. Enhancing heat exchanges while minimizing viscous losses becomes necessary to enhance power conversion. This work paves the way to the design of a microstructure suitable for controlling viscous and thermal effects in a relatively independent way.

The effect of operating conditions on heat transfer for parallel plate heat exchangers of thermoacoustic standing wave systems

Thermoacoustic systems represent a promising technology for clean cooling and/or power generation. However, understanding of the behavior of oscillatory flow inside the system under high drive ratio operating conditions, at elevated mean pressures, range of frequencies, and high flow amplitudes, remains limited and poses challenges for designing efficient systems with minimal losses. This paper presents a numerical investigation into the flow and heat transfer characteristics across a coupled cold and hot parallel-plate heat exchanger operating under standing-wave type oscillatory flow conditions. The models were developed for various conditions, spanning frequencies from 13 Hz to 100 Hz and mean pressures between 1 and 20 bar, using both nitrogen and helium as working fluids. The study reveals significant phenomena such as heat accumulation and annular effects in both temperature and velocity/vorticity fields. These findings were discussed in the context of their impact on the heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger. Specifically, the emergence of vortices was examined in relation to mean pressure, alongside jet-like velocity profiles and natural convection effects. Furthermore, the paper includes a comparative analysis between the heat transfer model employed in this study and previous works, aiming to validate the findings. This research enhances the understanding of fluid dynamics and heat transfer phenomena within heat exchangers of thermoacoustic devices, thereby contributing to advancements in future design improvements.

Investigating the synergy of blockage ratio and external cold heat exchanger in standing-wave thermoacoustic engines: An experimental study

Thermoacoustic engines (TAE) offer a promising avenue for converting low-grade heat into useable energy. Despite its simplicity in fabrication, designing thermoacoustic engines face efficiency challenges hindering their widespread adoption. One key obstacle faced by current thermoacoustic devices is their lack of efficiency. The core components of TAE are the stack, Cold Heat Exchanger (CHX), Hot Heat Exchanger (CHX) and the resonator. These components are crucial in advancing the performance of thermoacoustic engines. The CHX keeps the working gas cool, which is essential for the engine to function efficiently and create the desired acoustic wave. However, many existing efforts in this field have not taken into consideration the effect of the CHX design which may have effect on the operating temperature and the engines performance. This study examines the influence of different CHX blockage ratios (28 %, 36 %, 42 %, 47 %, and 59 %), along with the addition of an external CHX, on performance metrics. Measurements were conducted using air at room temperature and atmospheric pressure to assess temperature difference, startup time, volumetric velocity, and sound pressure levels. Key findings indicate that Efficiency directly correlates with volumetric velocity and inversely with onset temperature. Even though decreasing the blockage ratio increases operating temperature, it lengthens startup and reduces volumetric velocity, suggesting increased axial conduction. In addition, External CHX lowers operating temperature, reducing volumetric velocity and sound pressure. Interestingly, resonance frequency remains unaffected by CHX blockage ratio changes. An optimal configuration with a 42–47 % blockage ratio achieves 5.92 m/s velocity, 136 s startup time, and 77 °C onset temperature. These findings offer valuable insights for optimizing thermoacoustic engine efficiency and advancing their potential as sustainable energy solutions.

Influence of resonator length and temperature configuration on the performance of a supercritical CO2 thermoacoustic engine

The peculiar properties of CO2 at supercritical pressures and transcritical temperature conditions are favorable for thermoacoustic devices. The printed circuit heat exchanger has been employed to fabricate a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine that works under these conditions. Experiments performed in this paper are devoted to exploring the influences of resonator length and temperature configuration on its performance. Results demonstrate that the oscillation frequency drops when the resonator is elongated, while the pressure amplitude is strengthened. To generalize the experimental data, the power-law relation for pressure amplitude and the bilinear law of frequency are extended to include resonator length as an independent variable, serving as the basis for tuning performance through resonator length. The best temperature configuration is to put the pseudo-critical temperature at the midpoint of heating and cooling temperatures to induce the pressure oscillation at maximum amplitude. Guided by the above results, experiments are performed to explore the extremum of low onset temperature difference. The current record is finally identified as 8.6 °C, close to the literature record of 7.0 °C. This paper elucidates the effects of resonator length and temperature configuration. Conclusions drawn in this paper can guide the design and operation of thermoacoustic devices working with supercritical CO2.

Full-scale numerical simulations of standing-wave thermoacoustic engines with circular-pore and pin-array stacks

Thermoacoustic engines (TAEs) can convert thermal energy into acoustic energy with no moving parts. Previous numerical studies normally focused on the TAEs with a parallel-plate stack due to their simple structures and used two-dimensional (2-D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to save computational costs. In this study, we conduct full-scale three-dimensional (3-D) CFD simulations on the standing-wave TAEs with more complicated circular-pore and pin-array stacks. Firstly, the dynamic behavior of the standing-wave TAEs in the start-up process is investigated. It is found that the optimal ratios of hydraulic radius rh to thermal penetration depth δk for the TAEs with circular-pore and pin-array stacks are 2 and 3.2, respectively. Secondly, the acoustic, hydrodynamic, and thermodynamic characteristics of the standing-wave TAEs in the steady-state process are explored. We find that when operating at optimal rh/δk, the TAE with a pin-array stack generates much larger acoustic power than that with a circular-pore stack. Examination of the vortex shedding at the stack ends indicates that the pin arrays exhibit less flow resistance than circular pores. At optimal rh/δk, the time-averaged transversal heat flux at the pin array ends is calculated to be around 1.2 × 105 W/m2, which is larger than 7.5 × 104 W/m2 of circular pores, corresponding to a better thermodynamic performance. The 3-D numerical investigations in this work give deeper insights into the performances of TAEs with circular-pore and pin-array stacks which were investigated in experiments, providing useful guidance for the future design and development of more sophisticated thermoacoustic devices for low-grade heat recovery.

A Large-Scale and Low-Cost Thermoacoustic Loudspeaker Based on Three-Dimensional Graphene Foam.

Graphene is a promising material for thermoacoustic sources due to its extremely low heat capacity per unit area and high thermal conductivity. However, current graphene thermoacoustic devices have limited device area and relatively high cost, which limit their applications of daily use. Here, we adopt a dip-coating method to fabricate a large-scale and cost-effective graphene sound source. This sound source has the three-dimensional (3D) porous structure that can increase the contact area between graphene and air, thus assisting heat to release into the air. In this method, polyurethane (PU) is used as a support, and graphene nanoplates are attached onto the PU skeleton so that a highly flexible graphene foam (GrF) device is obtained. At a measuring distance of 1 mm, it can emit sound at up to 70 dB under the normalized input power of 1 W. Considering its unique porous structure, we establish a thermoacoustic analysis model to simulate the acoustic performance of GrF. Furthermore, the obtained GrF can be made up to 44 in. (100 cm × 50 cm) in size, and it has good flexibility and processability, which broadens the application fields of GrF loudspeakers. It can be attached to the surfaces of objects with different shapes, making it suitable to be used as a large-area speaker in automobiles, houses, and other application scenarios, such as neck mounted speaker. In addition, it can also be widely used as a fully flexible in-ear earphone.

Thermoacoustic velocity and pressure oscillations in one-dimensional combustors with spatially varying heat sources and thermal distributions

In this work, an asymptotically based framework using a naturally occurring perturbation parameter is further developed in the context of a one-dimensional tube with an open–open end point configuration without and with a spatially variable heat source. This approach is shown to produce accurate predictions of not only pressure waveforms, as previously demonstrated, but also of velocity mode shapes and frequencies for arbitrary temperature distributions that mimic a wide variety of flow heating arrangements. These include those associated with a Rijke tube as well as other thermoacoustic sound-generation devices. The underlying formulation consists of two linearly coupled partial differential equations that can be solved simultaneously while using a Green's function to capture the thermoacoustically induced velocity. The strategy leading to accurate predictions of the thermoacoustic velocity is described and then applied to several representative cases. Results pertaining to the acoustic velocity and pressure are systematically discussed and compared to other models in the literature. Overall, we find the axially dependent thermal gain to have the most significant impact on the mode shape structure, frequencies, and nodal locations. For example, higher thermal gains lead to elevated wave propagation speeds in the downstream segment of the tube. As such, they cause the velocity nodes to gradually shift upstream with successive increases in the thermal gain. Moreover, due in part to a non-homogeneous pressure–temperature pumping term that appears exclusively in the acoustic velocity formulation, the main difference between the acoustic pressure and velocity oscillation frequencies can be directly attributed to specific derivatives of the spatially varying thermal profiles.

Underwater Thermoacoustic Generation by a Hierarchical Tetrapodal Carbon Nanotube Network.

Solid-state fabricated carbon nanotube (CNT) sheets have shown promise as thermoacoustic (TA) sound generators, emitting tunable sound waves across a broad frequency spectrum (1-105 Hz) due to their ultralow specific heat capacity. However, their applications as underwater TA sound generators are limited by the reduced mechanical strength of CNT sheets in aqueous environments. In this study, we present a mechanically robust underwater TA device constructed from a three-dimensional (3D) tetrapodal assembly of carbon nanotubes (t-CNTs). These structures feature a high porosity (>99.9%) and a double-hollowed network of well-interconnected CNTs. We systematically explore the impact of different dimensions of t-CNTs and various annealing procedures on sound generation performance. Furnace-annealed t-CNTs, in contrast to directly resistive Joule heating annealing, provide superior, continuous, and homogeneous hydrophobicity across the surface of bulk t-CNTs. As a result, the t-CNTs-based underwater TA device demonstrates stable, smooth, and broad-spectrum sound generation within the frequency range of 1 × 102 to 1 × 104 Hz, along with a weak resonance response. Furthermore, these devices exhibit enhanced and more stable sound generation performance at nonresonance frequencies compared to regular CNT-based devices. This study contributes to advancing the development of underwater TA devices with characteristics such as being nonresonant, high-performing, flexible, elastically compressible, and reliable, enabling operation across a broad frequency range.

Design and Development of Power Generation System for Thermo-Acoustically Driven Devices

This paper explores the emerging field of thermo-acoustic devices, specifically focusing on developing robust bidirectional turbines. Amidst growing concerns about climate change, rising energy demands, and the urgent need for alternative solutions, the study highlights the underexplored domain of bidirectional turbines within thermo-acoustic systems, offering a crucial pathway toward cleaner and more sustainable technologies, thereby providing commercialization potential. It identifies a significant gap in dedicated investigations regarding the interaction, efficiency, and challenges associated with bidirectional turbines and adopts a comprehensive methodology integrating analytical modelling, computational fluid dynamics simulations, and practical experimentation. An axial bidirectional turbine is carefully selected, designed, and optimized using advanced tools such as MATLAB R2016a and CAD software, including PTC Creo 5.0 and Solidworks 2023. The validity of the CAD model is verified through ANSYS 16.2 CFX simulations, followed by experimental validation to corroborate and enhance theoretical insights. The conclusions drawn from this study offer valuable recommendations for further research and practical implementations.

Experimental validation of a heat exchanger model for thermoacoustic applications

Thermoacoustics is a promising technology for energy conversion purposes. Among the bottlenecks limiting a large diffusion of thermoacoustic devices, there are heat exchangers, whose behaviour in oscillatory flows is rather different than those working in stationary flows. Furthermore, the classical linear acoustic theory in the frequency domain cannot predict with high-fidelity the thermo-fluid dynamics of such heat exchangers. In this article, a CFD model based on a standing wave device including a parallel plate heat exchanger is proposed. The setup is inspired by a similar prototype of a thermoacoustic engine in which the performance of the ambient heat exchanger was tested. The results of the CFD model are therefore compared, in terms of the temperature difference between fluid and solid wall in the heat exchanger, average heat flux and Nusselt number, with experimental data showing a satisfying agreement.

Analysis of non-linear losses in a parallel plate thermoacoustic stack

PurposeThis study aims to analyse the non-linear losses of a porous media (stack) composed by parallel plates and inserted in a resonator tube in oscillatory flows by proposing numerical correlations between pressure gradient and velocity.Design/methodology/approachThe numerical correlations origin from computational fluid dynamics simulations, conducted at the microscopic scale, in which three fluid channels representing the porous media are taken into account. More specifically, for a specific frequency and stack porosity, the oscillating pressure input is varied, and the velocity and the pressure-drop are post-processed in the frequency domain (Fast Fourier Transform analysis).FindingsIt emerges that the viscous component of pressure drop follows a quadratic trend with respect to velocity inside the stack, while the inertial component is linear also at high-velocity regimes. Furthermore, the non-linear coefficient b of the correlation ax + bx2 (related to the Forchheimer coefficient) is discovered to be dependent on frequency. The largest value of the b is found at low frequencies as the fluid particle displacement is comparable to the stack length. Furthermore, the lower the porosity the higher the Forchheimer term because the velocity gradients at the stack geometrical discontinuities are more pronounced.Originality/valueThe main novelty of this work is that, for the first time, non-linear losses of a parallel plate stack are investigated from a macroscopic point of view and summarised into a non-linear correlation, similar to the steady-state and well-known Darcy–Forchheimer law. The main difference is that it considers the frequency dependence of both Darcy and Forchheimer terms. The results can be used to enhance the analysis and design of thermoacoustic devices, which use the kind of stacks studied in the present work.

Analysis of thermoacoustic phenomenon using concentrated mass model

In general acoustic analysis, temperature of the air is often assumed to be constant. However, in some cases, the relationship between sound waves and temperature cannot be ignored. For example, a temperature gradient in an acoustic tube can generate self-excited vibrations of the air. A temperature gradient can also be generated by the input of sound waves. Engines and refrigerators that apply these phenomena can use exhaust heat as a drive source, so that they are expected as thermoacoustic devices with little adverse effect on the environment. Thermoacoustic devices have been actively studied in recent years, and efficient analytical methods including non-linearity of sound waves are still required. In this study, we propose an analysis method of thermoacoustic phenomena using a concentrated mass model. This model consisted of masses, springs, and dampers, and efficiently analyses thermoacoustic phenomena as a vibration system. In addition, this model is suitable for non-linear analysis and coupled analysis with other vibrating bodies. In this paper, we formulated an acoustic tube with a temperature gradient using the proposed model and verified the validity of the model by numerical calculations.

The application of additive manufacturing to heat exchangers for oscillatory flow: A case study

Additive manufacturing is an option for the fabrication of heat exchangers for thermoacoustic applications. In thermoacoustic devices, heat exchangers are placed in oscillatory flow. A careful consideration of heat exchanger geometries examines the application of methodologies to optimise heat transfer and the temperature gradient. Additive manufacturing is proposed as an alternative fabrication technique that can overcome the current limitations of conventional fabrication machining. Six identical crossflow heat exchangers were made and tested, three from stainless steel and three from aluminium. The oscillatory flow moves back and forth through circular cross-section channels, and water flows in channels perpendicular to them. Heat transfer and temperature gradients were investigated at different drive ratios and mean pressures.

Experimental investigation of two- and three-dimensional graphene-based thermo-acoustic sound generating devices: Analysis of gap separation effect

Advances in nanomaterials over the last decade have enabled the practical exploration of the “thermophone” concept based on a thermoacoustic (TA) mechanism. By applying an alternating current to thin-film conductive materials that are strong, stiff and of high emissivity, it is possible to rapidly heat and cool the surrounding fluid (air or gas) through resistive heating and convection cooling. The resulting temperature oscillation of the fluid causes it to expand and shrink, which in turn generates acoustic waves with a sound pressure level (SPL) over a wide frequency band. Motivated by two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) graphene thin films possessing the essential characteristics needed for high performance TA, we present herein a comprehensive investigation on the performance of TA sound-generating devices made by mounting 2D and 3D graphene materials on a substrate with a 50-μm gap separation. The effect of the gap, the types of graphene films, and the substrate materials are investigated. Compared with 2D graphene thin films, 3D graphene foams were found to exhibit higher sound generation capability and TA efficiency. In addition, the mechanical properties of the substrate have a small effect on the SPL response of 3D-graphene foam TA devices but strongly affect the SPL response of 2D-graphene thin-film TA devices.

Influence of Working Conditions on Parameters of Thermoacoustic Engine with Travelling Wave

Thermoacoustic converters are devices for direct conversion of acoustic energy into thermal energy in the form of temperature difference, or vice versa – for converting thermal energy into an acoustic wave. In the first case, the device is called a thermoacoustic heat pump, in the second – thermoacoustic engine. Thermoacoustic devices can use (or produce) a standing or travelling acoustic wave. This paper describes the construction and properties of a single-stage thermoacoustic engine with a travelling wave. This kind of engine works using the Stirling cycle. It uses gas as a working medium and does not contain any moving parts. The main component of the engine is a regenerator equipped with two heat exchangers. Most commonly, a porous material or a set of metal grids is used as a regenerator. An acoustic wave is created as a result of the temperature difference between a cold and a hot heat exchanger. The influence of working gas, and such parameters as static pressure and temperature at heat exchanger on the thermoacoustic properties of the engine, primarily its efficiency, was investigated. The achieved efficiency was up to 1.4% for air as the working medium, which coincides with the values obtained in other laboratories. The efficiency for argon as working gas is equal to 0.9%.

Experimental investigation of a novel standing-wave thermoacoustic engine based on PCHE and supercritical CO2

The pursuit of high amplitude and low onset temperature difference is one important topic in thermoacoustic engines. In this paper, a novel standing-wave thermoacoustic engine is constructed working with supercritical CO2, whose core components are integrated as a printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE). Our experimental results confirm that at any location on the resonator, the pressure obeys a cosine law with time, and the whole pressure field exhibits a seesaw-like spatiotemporal behavior. Under a fixed charging mass, the amplitude of pressure oscillation increases with temperature difference, obeying a power law relation. The maximum amplitude achieved in this work is 0.419 MPa at a temperature difference of 151.0 °C and a mean pressure of 9.621 MPa. Besides, the frequency with an average of 7.6 Hz shows weak variations. The onset temperature difference decreases as the critical pressure is approached, and the minimum value achieved is 14.8 °C. Moreover, the cooling effect of oscillating CO2 to the high-temperature portion of the stack is revealed, causing the strongly nonlinear temperature profile along the stack. This paper manifests that supercritical CO2 and PCHE are highly prospective to be employed in thermoacoustic devices.

Temperature Distribution and Heat Transfer in Narrow Channel during Thermoacoustic Oscillation

Thermoacoustic oscillation is induced when a gas is in a tube with a narrow channel section that has a large temperature gradient. Although the oscillation in the tube section was studied, that in the narrow channel has not yet been discussed well. The temperature distribution and the heat transfer in the narrow channel section, which are the most important parameters for the design of thermoacoustic devices, are discussed in this study. Numerical calculations of fluid conservation equations are performed, and the onset of oscillation is obtained by gradually increasing the temperature gradient. The minimum onset temperature ratio is shown to agree with the existing analytical and experimental results. The average wave speed is in between the isothermal sound speed for the highest temperature and the adiabatic sound speed for the lowest temperature. The distribution of oscillating temperature in the narrow channel is found to be different and reversed from that in the tube. It is shown in the narrow channel that the heat transfer is smaller for larger diameter and larger for smaller diameter and the heat transfer coefficient or the heat transfer model should be improved for the oscillating flow.

Design optimization and CFD analysis of the dynamic behavior of a standing wave thermoacoustic engine with various geometry parameters and boundary conditions

Thermoacoustic devices are converters of thermal energy into acoustic energy and vice versa. Although these machines contain simple components, the design of these machines is very challenging. In order to predict the behavior and optimize the efficiency of a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine designed to drive a thermally driven thermoacoustic refrigerator, considering changes in geometrical parameters and operating conditions, two analogies have been presented in this paper. The first analogy is based on a CFD simulation carried out to investigate the influence of stack parameters, working gas and boundary conditions on the thermoacoustic process. The second analogy is performed by the use of an optimization algorithm based on the simplified linear thermoacoustic theory to design and optimize the parameters investigated by the CFD study. Stack of parallel plates of normalized stack center positions of 0.007 to 0.26, normalized stack lengths of 0.018 to 0.11, and several gaps and thicknesses of plates and working gases are used. The results from the algorithm give the ability to design any thermoacoustic engine with high efficiency by picking the appropriate parameters. Simulation results show that decreasing thickness and position of the plates gives a significant efficiency. However, there are optimum values for length of the stack and the gap between two plates. The material chosen for the construction of plates should have a low thermal conductivity and gases with higher ratios of specific heats and lower Prandtl numbers are well suitable for thermoacoustic systems.

Acoustic platforms meet MXenes - a new paradigm shift in the palette of biomedical applications.

The wide applicability of acoustics in the life of mankind spread over health, energy, environment, and others. These acoustic technologies rely on the properties of the materials with which they are made of. However, traditional devices have failed to develop into low-cost, portable devices and need to overcome issues like sensitivity, tunability, and applicability in biological in vivo studies. Nanomaterials, especially 2D materials, have already been proven to produce high optical contrast in photoacoustic applications. One such wonder kid in the materials family is MXenes, which are transition metal carbides, that are nowadays flourishing in the materials world. Recently, it has been demonstrated that MXene nanosheets and quantum dots can be synthesized by acoustic excitations. In addition, MXene can be used as a mechanical sensing material for building piezoresistive sensors to realize sound detection as it produces a sensitive response to pressure and vibration. It has also been demonstrated that MXene nanosheets show high photothermal conversion capability, which can be utilized in cancer treatment and photoacoustic imaging (PAI). In this review, we have rendered the role of acoustics in the palette of MXene, including acoustic synthetic strategies of MXenes, applications such as acoustic sensors, PAI, thermoacoustic devices, sonodynamic therapy, artificial ear drum, and others. The review also discusses the challenges and future prospects of using MXene in acoustic platforms in detail. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review combining acoustic science in MXene research.

Wire mesh stack and regenerator model for thermoacoustic devices

Thermoacoustic technology can play a significant role in the development of renewable energies. Thermoacoustic engines and heat pumps (or refrigerators) are however characterized by a low efficiency attributed to suboptimal components. The core of these devices is a porous material, named stack (or regenerator), in which thermoacoustic conversion takes place. The most frequently used stack in the literature remains the wire mesh, although there is still a lack of formulation for the corresponding thermoviscous response functions. Essentially, all the dynamic thermal and viscous behaviors of a porous structure can be derived thanks to the Johnson-Champoux-Allard-Lafarge (JCAL) semi-phenomenological model, where transport parameters provide input information on the macroscopic level to the model. Here, we report a set of structure–property correlations between the transport parameters of the stack and the geometrical features of the wire mesh obtained from first-principles calculations. Validation of the model is carried out by means of experimental measurements performed on three different specimens. Our results show that the knowledge of the termoviscous functions for the wire mesh allows drawing preliminary considerations on the thermoacoustic efficiency of the stack, without needing to consider a full numerical simulation of the entire device.