An experimental study on flow resistance of regenerator wire meshes in oscillatory flow
- Nihon Univ., Setagayaku, Tokyo (Japan)
Stirling engine is considered as an important energy system for utilizing Biomass energy. Regenerator is a very important element of the Stirling engine as it determines thermal efficiency and its flow resistance determines output power. This paper describes the experimental results on fluid motion in regenerator wire meshes of a Stirling engine in a oscillatory flow. Theoretical analysis on laminar flow in a circular pipe is described for a comparison. Simultaneous measurements of velocity nearby the mesh layer in the test section, pressure drops between entree and exit point of mesh layer and photo signal of top position of the piston were carried out in oscillatory flow condition. Experimental results shows that variation of pressure drops slightly advances toward velocity variation as is clarified in the theoretical analysis on laminar oscillatory flow in a circular pipe. Friction factors defined by adjusting phase angle shift between pressure drops and velocity variations show that it appears bigger in the accelerating period than in the decelerating period. This phenomenon seems to be explained because fluid motion requires more energy to make eddy structure in the accelerating period, while fluid motion in the decelerating period requires less energy as streamwise eddy structure is already developed.
- OSTI ID:
- 349030
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970701--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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