Self-circulating flow in thermoacoustic heat engines for efficient heat transfer

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Thermoacoustic engines convert heat energy into high amplitude acoustic waves and subsequently into electric power. One of the advantages of this approach is that heat is converted to work with no moving parts which makes the engine reliable and maintenance free. Heat may be provided by combusting fuel such as natural gas or biomass, or by utilizing waste heat. The technology has significant potential for increasing energy system efficiency through waste-heat utilization for mobile, distributed, or remote combined heat and power generation.****For applications involving waste-heat utilization, efficient coupling of the thermal source to the engine is required. This can be difficult and costly using conventional heat exchangers. A simpler, and potentially efficient method to transport heat to the engine is using mean flow in a loop connecting the waste heat source to the thermoacoustic generator. The use of venturi structures to drive flow in a loop has been proven, but requires testing, characterization, and optimization for use in commercial applications. This project will experimentally and numerically analyze the impacts of venturi design and operating conditions of heat transfer effectiveness of a self-circulating flow loop. Preferred designs to create self-circulating flow will be identified.****