Gap seal dissipation in linear alternators.
Earlier models of the coupling between a thermoacoustic system and an electrodynamic motor/alternator considered mechanical damping but ignored the viscous friction and blow-by losses produced by the motor/alternator's piston oscillating within a tight-fitting gap. The model presented here extends previous models to demonstrate that the inclusion of these effects leads to a better estimate of the electroacoustic conversion efficiency and can be used to determine the optimal load resistance for such an alternator's electrical power output. Model predictions were shown to be in excellent agreement with the performance measurements made using two different thermoacoustic engines and using a sealed volume (dummy load) connected to multiple, horizontally opposed motor/alternators, using an empirical determination of the piston-cylinder gap.
Qnergy, Ein Harod Ihud 18960, Israel.
Eran
E
Gonen
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
Gershon
G
Grossman