A unified approach for dynamic characteristic analysis of a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine with general impedance ends

As promising devices for energy conversion, thermoacoustic engines (TAEs) are attracting more and more research attention with regard to renewable thermal energy application. For a TAE, the oscillation frequency is a critical parameter in its design and operation, which can only be estimated currently through an often tedious process using a shooting method or a numerical iteration method, and an analysis model with classical boundary conditions. In this context, this study seeks to establish a unified model for dynamic analysis of a one-dimensional (1D) standing-wave TAE with general impedance ends. First, the differential equations governing the thermoacoustic behavior of the TAE and its impedance boundary conditions are simultaneously solved using the Galerkin method and an improved Fourier series expansion method. Then, the characteristic distributions of oscillation frequency, sound pressure, and volume flow rate are obtained by solving a standard eigenvalue problem. Finally, the effects of engine length, stack length and position, and impedance ends on the dynamic behavior of the TAE's thermoacoustic system are investigated and analyzed. The results show that engine length has a significantly negative correlation with the modal frequencies in different working gases, and stack position and stack length have a slight effect on the oscillation frequency of the TAE. The arbitrary variations in impedance boundary conditions can be simulated from the open end to the rigid wall and all intermediate cases. The proposed model can efficiently predict changes in dynamic parameters of 1-D TAEs with impedance ends in a unified pattern and can serve as a reliable analysis tool for further research on TAEs coupled with various energy harvesters.