Optimal acoustic fields in compact thermoacoustic refrigerators

Thermoacoustic refrigerators have been developed during the last 15 years, employing quasi-standing resonant acoustic waves inside fluid-filled cavities to transfer heat along a stack region. Because higher efficiency can be reached when a significant travelling wave component exists in the resonator, specific resonant thermoacoustic devices have been designed allowing to adjust more or less the ratio of travelling and standing wave components. However, the acoustic pressure field and the particle velocity field do not appear to be the optimal ones, for the thermal quantities of interest. Thus, it is the aim of the paper to present a new kind of thermoacoustic standing wave-like device which allows to control easily and independently the pressure field and the particle velocity field, after investigating the optimal acoustic field, in the stack region, for the main parameters of interest, i.e. the temperature gradient, the thermoacoustic heat flow and the coefficient of performance.     

二维谐振腔中声驻波的格子气仿真

引入带温度的9_Bit正方形格子气自动机模型,利用Monte Carlo方法模拟声源并激发平面波,在二维谐振腔中建立了声驻波场。该模型能够动态地反映声波的建立和演化过程,为进一步模拟分析热声效应等物理过程提供了可视化的有力工具     

行波和驻波模式下热声振荡的临界温度梯度

热声机械作为一种能量转化装置。其效率于传统发动机还有较大差距。本文讨论了热声发动机在驻波和行波两种不同工作状态下,其声功率产生的临界温度梯度与流道尺寸和工作介质的关系,得出了两种模式下最佳的工作条件。结果表明;采用行波形式的热声发动机结构,可以有效降低临界温度梯度,提高热致声的效率,同时可以利用一些低品位来做为热声发动机的高温端。     

Thermoacoustics with idealized heat exchangers and no stack

A model is developed for thermoacoustic devices that have neither stack nor regenerator. These "no-stack" devices have heat exchangers placed close together in an acoustic standing wave of sufficient amplitude to allow individual parcels of gas to enter both exchangers. The assumption of perfect heat transfer in the exchangers facilitates the construction of a simple model similar to the "moving parcel picture" that is used as a first approach to stack-based engines and refrigerators. The model no-stack cycle is shown to have potentially greater inviscid efficiency than a comparable stack model. However, losses from flow through the heat exchangers and on the walls of the enclosure are greater than those in a stack-based device due to the increased acoustic pressure amplitude. Estimates of these losses in refrigerators are used to compare the possible efficiencies of real refrigerators made with or without a stack. The model predicts that no-stack refrigerators can exceed stack-based refrigerators in efficiency, but only for particular enclosure geometries.     

电动声源热声致冷机声学和计算实例

我们将各种热声致机简化为一包括声学终端在内的声管道系统，并通过实例讨论了致冷机的声学特性，该管道系统与一般声管道不同：１．在热声堆中热波和粘滞波不可不计。２．在热声堆与声管连接时，必需考虑合成波的体积流；而热声堆内只需考虑传播波的体积流。本文对此提出了阻抗连接条件的修正。实例使用电动扬声器为声源，给出了热声行波和驻波致冷的声学计算方法以及它们的声学特性，所用扬声器的标称伏安为１００ＶＡ，可为热声致     

Suppression of self-excited thermoacoustic instabilities by convective-acoustic interference

In this paper we demonstrate direct suppression of self-excited thermoacoustic instabilities over a range of operating conditions using targeted convective-acoustic interference. Premixed hydrogen enriched methane-air flames were confined in a cylindrical pipe resulting in self-excited instabilities that corresponded to the quarter wave mode of the pipe. To suppress the instability, the phenomenon of lock-in (synchronisation) between the acoustic mode and vortex shedding from a set of cylinders placed upstream was used to produce destructive interference and suppress the self-excited modes. This was done by varying the location of the cylinders to control the convective time-delay between the convective and acoustic modes so that their combined effect on the flame response was tuned to suppress the global fluctuation of the heat release rate. This leads to a reduction in the limit-cycle amplitude and stable operation without a significant change to the flame structure. Measurements were taken over a wide range of equivalence ratios to demonstrate that the method is capable of stabilising the system for all conditions. Using a methodology which relies on time-delays related to hydrodynamic instability, rather than flame-related parameters, enables its application to fuel-flexible systems, often designed to operate within a wide range of power outputs.     

驻波型热声发动机的数值模拟

通过对驻波发动机热声边界条件的分析 ,给出了一种用“打靶法”进行迭代运算的循环模式 ,从而避开繁重的矩阵运算 ,计算效率得到有效地提高。最后以一个实例证明本方法计算结果与实验吻合较好。     

Piezo-driven thermoacoustic refrigerators with dynamic magnifiers

Thermoacoustic refrigeration is an emerging cooling technology which does not rely for in its operation on the use of any moving parts or harmful refrigerants. This technology uses acoustic waves to pump heat across a temperature gradient. The temperature gradient forms across the ends of a porous body, called the stack, enclosed in a resonator. The vast majority of thermoacoustic refrigerators to date have used electromagnetic loudspeakers to generate the acoustic input. In this paper, the design, construction, operation, and modeling of a piezo-driven thermoacoustic refrigerator are detailed. The performance of the refrigerator is significantly enhanced by coupling the acoustic driver with an elastic structure, referred to as a dynamic magnifier. Proper selection of the magnifier parameters can increase the magnitude of the pressure oscillations across the stack, and consequently the temperature difference. The magnified refrigerator demonstrates the effectiveness of piezoelectric actuation in moving 0.3 W of heat across a 10 °C temperature difference with an input power of 7 W. All the theoretical predictions are validated against data from experimental prototypes. The developed theoretical and experimental tools can serve as invaluable means for the design and testing of piezo-driven thermoacoustic refrigerator configurations.     

On whistling of pipes with a corrugated segment: Experiment and theory

Corrugated pipes are commonly used because of their local rigidity combined with global flexibility. The flow through such a pipe can induce strong whistling tones, which is an environmental nuisance and can be a threat to the mechanical integrity of the system. This paper considers the use of a composite pipe: a shorter corrugated pipe segment embedded between smooth pipe segments. Such a pipe retains some flexibility, while the acoustical damping in the smooth pipe reduces whistling tones. Whistling is the result of coherent vortex shedding at the cavities in the wall. This vortex shedding is synchronized by longitudinal acoustic waves traveling along the pipe. The acoustic waves trigger the vortex shedding, which reinforces the acoustic field for a critical range of the Strouhal number values. A linear theory for plane wave propagation and the sound production is proposed, which allows a prediction of the Mach number at the threshold of whistling in such pipes. A semi-empirical approach is chosen to determine the sound source in this model. This source corresponds to a fluctuating force acting on the fluid as a consequence of the vortex shedding. The functional form of the Strouhal number dependency of the dimensionless sound source amplitude is based on numerical simulations. The magnitude of the source and the Strouhal number range in which it can drive whistling are determined by matching the model to results for a specific corrugated pipe segment length. This semi-empirical source model is then applied to composite pipes with different corrugated segment lengths. In addition, the effect of inlet acoustical convective losses due to flow separation is considered. The Mach number at the threshold of whistling is predicted within a factor 2.     

Acoustic power measurements of a damped aeroacoustically driven resonator

Strong self-sustained acoustic oscillations may occur in a gas pipe network under certain gas flow velocities within the network. The pipe network under consideration consists of a main pipe, with a variable mean airflow, with two closed coaxial side branches of variable but equal length joined to the main pipe. Coupling between resonant acoustic standing waves and instabilities of the shear layers separating the flow in the main pipe from the stagnant gas in the closed side branches leads to strong acoustic oscillations at a frequency corresponding to the half-wavelength acoustic mode defined by the total side-branch length. An acoustic damper consisting of a variable acoustic resistance and compliance is used to dissipate power from the resonating mode. The response of the aeroacoustically driven resonator to variable damping will be examined for different fluid flow regimes as well as side-branch geometries.     

Review of sound induced by vortex shedding from cylinders

Sound induced by periodic vortex shedding from cylinders has been studied more-or-less continuously since the first quantitative study by Strouhal in 1878. Measurements have shown that vortex shedding is a dipole source of sound. Theoretical models for aeroacoustic sound in a free space, mostly inspired by Lighthill's work, have been developed which can replicate the measurements once the vortex shedding force, coherence, and periodicity are experimentally measured. Vortex shedding from tubes in heat exchanger tube bundles can reach damaging intensities because the acoustic mode is bound by the lower speed of sound within the tube bank itself. However, the amplitude and occurrence of the resonance can only be approximately predicted at present.     

壁温周期变化引起的一维热声波的数值模拟

本文采用可压缩流动的SIMPLE算法对壁温周期变化引起的气体中的一维热声波的产生和传播进行了数值模拟,分析了其中的流动和换热规律.计算结果表明,壁面温度周期变化可以产生大振幅的热声波,当其达到准平衡状态时温度产生稳态的超温现象,超温幅度的大小和极值的位置随着加热温度的振幅和频率变化而不同.超温现象导致冷壁面的温度梯度增大,强化了介质与冷壁面间的换热.     

Numerical investigations of flow and energy fields near a thermoacoustic couple

The flow field and the energy transport near thermoacoustic couples are simulated using a 2D full Navier-Stokes solver. The thermoacoustic couple plate is maintained at a constant temperature; plate lengths, which are "short" and "long" compared with the particle displacement lengths of the acoustic standing waves, are tested. Also investigated are the effects of plate spacing and the amplitude of the standing wave. Results are examined in the form of energy vectors, particle paths, and overall entropy generation rates. These show that a net heat-pumping effect appears only near the edges of thermoacoustic couple plates, within about a particle displacement distance from the ends. A heat-pumping effect can be seen even on the shortest plates tested when the plate spacing exceeds the thermal penetration depth. It is observed that energy dissipation near the plate increases quadratically as the plate spacing is reduced. The results also indicate that there may be a larger scale vortical motion outside the plates which disappears as the plate spacing is reduced.     

磁致伸缩换能器辐射板形状对声场分布的影响

磁致伸缩换能器可作为热声制冷机的声源装置,辐射板的形状直接影响声压输出效率,从而影响制冷效果。为提高换能器工作效率、减小换能器体积,辐射板需在Terfenol-D棒的激励下产生大振幅、高频率的活塞振型。针对这一问题,应用ATILA软件分析了磁致伸缩换能器辐射板形状对谐振腔振动幅频特性的影响以及对谐振腔内声场分布的影响。结果表明:相同激励条件下,凹球面辐射板出现活塞振型时振幅最大,对应谐振腔中声压幅值最高;谐振腔端面形状为凹球面时,具有聚焦声压幅值的作用;端面形状为凹发射端-凸反射端组合的谐振腔内声压幅值最高。以上结论为合理设计辐射板、谐振腔两端面组合形状提供了参考。     

A thermoacoustic-Stirling heat engine: detailed study

A new type of thermoacoustic engine based on traveling waves and ideally reversible heat transfer is described. Measurements and analysis of its performance are presented. This new engine outperforms previous thermoacoustic engines, which are based on standing waves and intrinsically irreversible heat transfer, by more than 50%. At its most efficient operating point, it delivers 710 W of acoustic power to its resonator with a thermal efficiency of 0.30, corresponding to 41% of the Carnot efficiency. At its most powerful operating point, it delivers 890 W to its resonator with a thermal efficiency of 0.22. The efficiency of this engine can be degraded by two types of acoustic streaming. These are suppressed by appropriate tapering of crucial surfaces in the engine and by using additional nonlinearity to induce an opposing time-averaged pressure difference. Data are presented which show the nearly complete elimination of the streaming convective heat loads. Analysis of these and other irreversibilities show which components of the engine require further research to achieve higher efficiency. Additionally, these data show that the dynamics and acoustic power flows are well understood, but the details of the streaming suppression and associated heat convection are only qualitatively understood.     

Investigation of azimuthal staging concepts in annular gas turbines

In this work, the influence of azimuthal staging concepts on the thermoacoustic behavior of annular combustion chambers is assessed theoretically and numerically. Staging is a well-known and effective method to abate thermoacoustic pulsations in combustion chambers. However, in the case of, for example, fuel staging the associated inhomogeneity of equivalence ratio may result in increased levels of NO_x emissions. In order to minimize this unwanted effect a staging concept is required in which the transfer functions of the burners are changed while affecting the equivalence ratio as little as possible. In order to achieve this goal, a theoretical framework for predicting the influence of staging concepts on pulsations has been developed. Both linear and nonlinear analytical approaches are presented and it is shown that the dynamics of azimuthal modes can be described by coupled Van der Pol oscillators. A criterion based on the thermoacoustic coupling strength and on the asymmetry degree provides the modal behavior in the annular combustor, i.e. standing or traveling waves. The model predictions have been verified by numerical simulations of a heavy-duty gas turbine using an in-house thermoacoustic network-modeling tool. The interaction between the heat release of the flame and the acoustic field was modeled using measured transfer functions and source terms. These numerical simulations confirmed the original theoretical considerations.     

Open cycle traveling wave thermoacoustics: mean temperature difference at the regenerator interface

In an open cycle traveling wave thermoacoustic engine, the hot heat exchanger is replaced by a steady flow of hot gas into the regenerator to provide the thermal energy input to the engine. The steady-state operation of such a device requires that a potentially large mean temperature difference exist between the incoming gas and the solid material at the regenerator's hot side, due in part to isentropic gas oscillations in the open space adjacent to the regenerator. The magnitude of this temperature difference will have a significant effect on the efficiencies of these open cycle devices. To help assess the feasibility of such thermoacoustic engines, a numerical model is developed that predicts the dependence of the mean temperature difference upon the important design and operating parameters of the open cycle thermoacoustic engine, including the acoustic pressure, mean mass flow rate, acoustic phase angles, and conductive heat loss. Using this model, it is also shown that the temperature difference at the regenerator interface is approximately proportional to the sum of the acoustic power output and the conductive heat loss at this location.     

Experiments and low-order modelling of intermittent transitions between clockwise and anticlockwise spinning thermoacoustic modes in annular combustors

Annular combustion chambers of gas turbines and aircraft engines are subject to unstable azimuthal thermoacoustic modes leading to high amplitude acoustic waves propagating in the azimuthal direction. For certain operating conditions, the propagating direction of the wave switches randomly. The strong turbulent noise prevailing in gas turbine combustors is a source of random excitation for the thermoacoustic modes and can be the cause of these switching events. A low-order model is proposed to describe qualitatively this property of the dynamics of thermoacoustic azimuthal modes. This model is based on the acoustic wave equation with a destabilizing thermoacoustic source term to account for the flame’s response and a stochastic term to account for the turbulent combustion noise. Slow-flow averaging is applied to describe the modal dynamics on times scales that are slower than the acoustic pulsation. Under certain conditions, the model reduces formally to a Fokker-Planck equation describing a stochastic diffusion process in a potential landscape with two symmetric wells: One well corresponds to a mode propagating in the clockwise direction, the other well corresponds to a mode propagating in the anticlockwise direction. When the level of turbulent noise is sufficient, the stochastic force makes the mode jump from one well to the other at random times, reproducing the phenomenon of direction switching. Experiments were conducted on a laboratory scale annular combustor featuring 12 hydrogen-methan flames. System identification techniques were used to fit the model on the experimental data, allowing to extract the potential shape and the intensity of the stochastic excitation. The statistical predictions obtained from the Fokker–Planck equation on the mode’s behaviour and the direction switching time are in good agreement with the experiments.     

Passive noise control by enhancing aeroacoustic interference due to structural discontinuities in close proximity

In-duct devices are commonly installed in flow ducts for various flow management purposes. The structural construction of these devices indispensably creates disruption to smooth flow through duct passages so they exist as structural discontinuities in duct flow. The presence of these discontinuities provides additional possibility of noise generation. In real practice, in-duct devices do not exist alone in any duct system. Even though each in-duct device would generate its own noise, it might be possible that these devices could be properly arranged so as to strengthen the interference between individual noise; thus giving rise to an overall reduction of noise radiation in the in-duct far field. This concept of passive noise control is investigated by considering different configurations of two structural discontinuities of simple form (i.e., a cavity) in tandem in an unconfined flow and in opposing setting within a flow duct. It is known that noise generated by a cavity in unconfined domain (unconfined cavity) is strongly dependent on flow-resonant behavior within the cavity so the interference it produces is merely aeroacoustic. The objective of the present study is to verify the concept of passive noise reduction through enhancement of aeroacoustic interference due to two cavities by considering laminar flow only. A two-dimensional approach is adopted for the direct aeroacoustic calculations using a direct numerical simulation (DNS) technique. The position and geometries of the cavities and the Mach number are varied; the resultant aeroacoustic behavior and acoustic power are calculated. The numerical results are compared with a single cavity case to highlight the effect of introducing additional cavities to the aeroacoustic problem. Resonant flow oscillations occur when two unconfined cavities are very close and the associated acoustic field is very intense with no noise reduction possible. However, for duct aeroacoustics, it is found that a 7.9 db reduction of acoustic power in the downstream side of the duct or a total reduction of ∼6 db is possible with opposing cavities having an offset of half a cavity length. In addition, the reduction is shown to be free from lock-on with trapped modes of the ducts with cavities.     

Observation of traveling thermoacoustic shock waves (L)

Shock waves were explored in the thermoacoustic spontaneous gas oscillations occurring in a gas column with a steep temperature gradient. The results show that a periodic shock occurs in the traveling wave mode in a looped tube but not in the standing wave mode in a resonator. Measurements of the harmonic components of the acoustic intensity reveal a clear difference between them. The temperature gradient acts as an acoustic energy source for the harmonic components of the shock wave in the traveling wave mode but as an acoustic energy sink of the second harmonic in the standing wave mode.