Convection Heat Transfer Coefficients in Thermoacoustic Heat Exchangers: An Experimental Investigation

Antonio Piccolo, Alessio Sapienza and Cecilia Guglielmino
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Antonio Piccolo: Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Contrada di Dio—98166 S. Agata, 98166 Messina, Italy
Alessio Sapienza: CNR-ITAE—Institute of Advanced Energy Technologies “Nicola Giordano”, Salita S. Lucia sopra Contesse 5, 98126 Messina, Italy
Cecilia Guglielmino: Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Contrada di Dio—98166 S. Agata, 98166 Messina, Italy

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 23, 1-10

Abstract: This paper investigates the thermal performance of thermoacoustic heat exchangers subjected to acoustically oscillating flows. The analysis is carried out by experimental measurements of the heat fluxes sustained by the ambient heat exchanger of a prime mover of the standing wave type. A home-made parallel-plate heat exchanger is considered for the study. The gas-side convection heat transfer coefficients expressed as Nusselt numbers are determined over a wide range of velocity amplitudes of the oscillating flow. The experimental results are then compared to the predictions of a number of theoretical models currently applied in thermoacoustics such as the time-average steady-flow equivalent (TASFE) model, the root mean square Reynolds number (RMS-Re) model, and the boundary layer conduction model. The comparison suggests that the boundary layer model performs better than the rms-Re and TASFE models in predicting the heat transfer coefficients in oscillating flows. The relative difference between the model predictions and the experimental data amounts to 19%. A new correlation law, based on regression of the experimental data, is also proposed.

Keywords: thermoacoustics; heat exchangers; heat transfer rates (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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