Thermoacoustic Energy Conversion Devices: Novel Insights

Abstract

Thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators have many advantages. They use environment-friendly working gases, their design is simple, and they can operate quietly. However, they have many design characteristics from geometric parameters and operating conditions. Besides this, they still have low efficiencies and performance. This paper summarizes important considerations of their design and presents the state-of-the-art developments in thermoacoustic energy conversion devices. This includes recent studies and designs of these devices towards more efficient thermoacoustic engines and refrigerators. New insights into the design of resonators, different power sources, different stack geometries and working mediums were considered. The challenges that face developments of thermoacoustic devices were also discussed. Far too little attention has been paid to looking at these devices comprehensively. In future research, the use of neural networks and metadata as optimisation methods could be a means of significantly increasing the performance of these devices. There is also abundant room for further progress in enhancing oscillatory heat transfer. This could be achieved by better design of the stacks and heat exchangers to suit the temperature variability inside the resonator. Moreover, further recommendations and studies were proposed for a better understanding of the interrelationship between the geometric parameters and operating conditions.