NUMERICAL-SIMULATION OF A THERMOACOUSTIC REFRIGERATOR II - STRATIFIEDFLOW AROUND THE STACK

The unsteady, two-dimensional, thermally stratified flow in the neighb orhood of an idealized thermoacoustic stack is analyzed using a low-Ma ch-number model that extends the adiabatic flow scheme developed in pa rt I (J. Comput. Phys. 127, 424 (1996)). The extension consists of inc orporation of numerical solvers for the energy equations in the fluid and the stack plates, and construction and implementation of fast Pois son solver for the velocity potential based on a domain decomposition/ boundary Green's function technique. The unsteady computations are use d to predict the steady-state, acoustically generated temperature grad ient across a two-dimensional couple and to analyze its dependence on the amplitude of the prevailing resonant wave. Computed results are co mpared to theoretical predictions and experimental data. (C) 1998 Acad emic Press.