Investigation of a piston mass impact on the pulse tube engine performance using analytical and experimental methods

Abstract

In this research we have formulated a model using the mechanical-acoustical method and we have constructed an experimental apparatus to investigate the performance of the free piston pulse tube engine. The effects of the piston mass on the operation frequency, piston displacement amplitude, phase shift and the net power output have been analyzed. The values of piston mass of 52, 57, 62 g and heat supplied levels of 175, 190 W were applied. The experimental results have shown that the engine with a free piston mass of 57 g and a heat input of 175 W provides a maximum power output approximately at a theoretically obtained resonance frequency level of 12.1 Hz, while the maximum deviation in experimental frequencies was 7.2%. A pulse tube engine operation with a lighter piston requires a higher temperature to provide the net power output level of 12 W as well as at a resonance operation frequency.

Keywords

• Pulse tube engine
• Net power
• Free piston
• Operation frequency