A linearly-acting variable-reluctance generator for thermoacoustic engines

作者：Hail Claudio U; Knodel Philip C; Lang Jeffrey H; Brisson John G^*

来源：Energy Conversion and Management, 2015, 100: 168-176.

DOI：10.1016/j.enconman.2015.04.073

• Thermoacoustic engine
• Acoustoelectric transducer
• Electricity generator

A crucial element in a thermoacoustic power converter for reliable small-scale power generation applications is an efficient acoustic-to-electric energy converter. In this work, an acoustic-to-electric transducer for application with a back-to-back standing wave thermoacoustic engine, based on a linearly-acting variable-reluctance generator is proposed, built and experimentally tested. Static and dynamic experiments are performed on one side of the generator on a shaker table at 60 Hz with 5 mm peak-to-peak displacement for performance characterization. A theoretical and empirical model of the variable-reluctance generator are presented and validated with experimental data. A frequency scaling based on the empirical model indicates that a maximum power output of 84 W at 78% generator efficiency is feasible at the thermoacoustic engine's operating frequency of 250 Hz, not considering power electronic losses. This suggests that the linearly-acting variable-reluctance generator can efficiently convert high frequency small amplitude acoustic oscillations to useful electricity and thus enables its integration into a thermoacoustic power converter.

• 出版日期2015-8