Development of acoustical heat engines working with low-temperature low-energy-density heat sources

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H04383
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 64050:Sound material-cycle social systems-related
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Biwa Tetsushi 東北大学, 工学研究科, 教授 (50314034)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 熱音響現象 / 音波エンジン / スターリングエンジン / エネルギー変換 / 外燃機関

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, a liquid piston engine and an acoustic engine with a flywheel were developed for a heat engine without solid moving parts. The liquid piston engine uses the coupled vibration of multiple liquid columns to control the working gas instead of the reciprocating motion of a solid piston to execute an energy conversion cycle. We analyzed the operating mechanism and established design guidelines by constructing a theoretical model and conducting experiments. A prototype acoustic engine with a flywheel was successfully developed, and its basic operating dynamics was investigated experimentally and numerically.

Free Research Field

熱音響工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

気柱振動を利用した音波エンジンは，著しく簡単な構造を持つことや特殊な材料・物質が不要で，しかもエネルギー変換に固体ピストンが本質的には不要という特徴を備えた比較的新しい外燃機関である．本研究成果は音波エンジンを液体ピストンを持つ系に拡張し，またその音響パワー出力を軸出力に変換するための基礎であり，音波エンジンを核とする分散型エネルギー源の構築に資する．