Numerical Simulation of the Energy Conversion Process in Thermoacoustic Engines with Different Stack Materials

YAO Chen; GAO Bo; SUN Bo; LIU Jiping; YAN Junjie

doi:10.7652/xjtuxb202607016

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Numerical Simulation of the Energy Conversion Process in Thermoacoustic Engines with Different Stack Materials

更新时间：2026-07-09

- Numerical Simulation of the Energy Conversion Process in Thermoacoustic Engines with Different Stack Materials
- Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University Vol. 60, Issue 7, Pages: 173-184(2026)
- 作者机构：
  
  西安交通大学热流科学与工程教育部重点实验室，710049，西安
  西安交通大学动力工程多相流国家重点实验室，710049，西安
- 作者简介：
- 基金信息：
- DOI：10.7652/xjtuxb202607016
  CLC： TM911.4
- Received：03 November 2025，
  
  Published：10 July 2026
- 稿件说明：
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YAO Chen, GAO Bo, SUN Bo, et al. Numerical Simulation of the Energy Conversion Process in Thermoacoustic Engines with Different Stack Materials[J]. Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 2026, 60(7): 173-184.
DOI：

YAO Chen, GAO Bo, SUN Bo, et al. Numerical Simulation of the Energy Conversion Process in Thermoacoustic Engines with Different Stack Materials[J]. Journal of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 2026, 60(7): 173-184. DOI： 10.7652/xjtuxb202607016.

摘要

为揭示不同板叠材料对热声热机性能影响，基于开源C++计算库MFEM，构建了利用间断伽辽金算法的高精度热声热机数值模拟模型，研究了4种不同板叠材料对热声热机能量转换过程及效率的影响。在欧拉和拉格朗日两种观点下分别分析了能量分布与粒子振荡特性。结果表明：铁板叠产生的压力振幅最高，铜板叠最低；温度梯度分布随材料性质显著不同，其中铁板叠分布均匀，铜板叠趋于水平直线，而玻璃与聚酰亚胺板叠的温度梯度集中在靠近热端换热器一侧。在欧拉观点下，局部能量密度分布与温度梯度规律一致；在拉格朗日观点下，粒子的温度-位置及温度-比熵曲线揭示了不同位置粒子在一个周期内的做功分布规律。进一步计算发现，玻璃板叠的循环做功最大，铜板叠最小；铜板叠的换热量最高，铁板叠最低；铁板叠的效率最高（为10.11%），铜板叠最低（为3.87%）。研究表明板叠材料的物理性质所形成的温度梯度分布差异对热声热机的能量转换效率具有重要影响。

Abstract

To elucidate how different stack materials influence the performance of thermoacoustic engines，a high-accuracy numerical simulation model for thermoacoustic engines utilizing the discontinuous Galerkin method was developed based on the open-source C++ library MFEM. The impacts of four different stack materials on the energy conversion process and efficiency of thermoacoustic engines were investigated.Energy distribution and particle oscillation characteristics were analyzed from both Eulerian and Lagrangian perspectives. The results demonstrate that the highest pressure amplitude was generated by the iron stack，while the lowest was produced by the copper stack.The temperature gradient distribution was found to be significantly dependent on material properties：a uniform distribution was observed in the iron stack，a nearly horizontal profile in the copper stack，and a concentration near the hot-end heat exchanger in the glass and Kapton stacks.In the Eulerian framework，the local energy density distribution was found to be consistent with the temperature gradient patterns.In the Lagrangian framework，the distribution patterns of particles at different positions working over one cycle were elucidated through temperature-position and temperature-specific entropy curves of particles.Further calculations showed that the glass stack yielded the maximum cycle work while the copper stack yielded the minimum；the copper stack exhibited the highest heat transfer，whereas the iron stack showed the lowest；and the iron stack attained the highest efficiency（10.11%），while the copper stack presented the lowest（3.87%）. These findings indicate that the variations in temperature gradient distribution，governed by the physical properties of the stack materials，are a key factor determining the energy conversion efficiency of thermoacoustic engines.

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Related Author

YAO Chen

GAO Bo

SUN Bo

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Related Institution

MOE Key Laboratory of Thermal Fluid Science Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University

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