Year : 2022, Volume : 47, Issue : 1
First page : ( 78) Last page : ( 83)
Print ISSN : 0379-0479. Online ISSN : 2349-2120. Published online : 2022 January 04.
Article DOI : 10.5958/2349-2120.2022.00014.0

Numerical modelling of a pressure wave refrigerator

Zafar S.^1,*, Nandi T. K.¹

¹Cryogenic Engineering Centre, IIT Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal-721302

^*E-mail ID: shariqzafar009@iitkgp.ac.in

Online published on 4 December, 2023.

A pressure wave refrigerator (PWR) is an unsteady flow device that uses shock waves and rarefied waves to generate refrigeration. The working principle of a PWR is similar to that of a standard shock tube. High-pressure gas is injected periodically into a stationary receiving tube through a rotary valve. A shock wave is formed at the injection point that moves forward, and at the same time a rarefied wave travels backwards, producing refrigeration. In this paper, a two-dimensional numerical model is developed using Ansys Fluent^TM (version 19.2) to analyse a PWR. The numerical model is validated with the experimental data available in literature. Studies have been conducted under varying parametric conditions such as length of the stationary receiving tube, rotational speed of the rotary valve, and inlet over-pressure. The performance of a PWR is adversely affected by the reflected shock wave. A damping tank with a restrictor is placed at the end of the receiving tube for attenuating the reflected shock waves. These results will help us understand the behaviour of a PWR and the critical issues in designing such a system.

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Keywords

Pressure wave refrigerator, Shock wave, Expansion wave, CFD simulation.

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