Effect of Stack Position and Stack Length on the Performance of Thermoacoustic Engine

Abstract

In this paper, the influence of the stack length and stack position on the performance of the thermoacoustic engine is numerically investigated. In the thermoacoustic engine (TAE), thermal energy is converted into acoustic energy which can be utilized for various applications. Here, two stack lengths and five stack positions are used to study their effect on the parameters of the developed acoustic wave. The two stack sizes are 5% and 15% of the length of the resonator tube, whereas the stack centre position is varied between 10% to 50% of the resonator length. The results are given in terms of the pressure, axial velocity, and frequency of the acoustic wave. These quantities are observed at three different locations in the resonator tube, i.e., sensor 1, 2, and 3. The results indicated that longer stack produced the sound wave with higher intensity and higher frequency as compared to the shorter stack. Moving the stack away from the closed end of the resonator increased the frequency of the wave, whereas the pressure and velocity increased until a maximum peak was reached, and then started to decrease.