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Numerical and experimental investigation on flow and heat transfer characteristics of trapezoidal regenerator in Stirling generator

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  • Yang, Juhui
  • Huang, Wen
  • Feng, Yu
  • Jin, Zhangtao
  • Wu, Hao
  • Shuai, Zhikang

Abstract

Stirling generator is one of the best choices for achieving sustainable development, which has attracted much attention for its high efficiency, high reliability and fuel adaptability. As the core heat exchange component of Stirling generator, regenerator has great influence on its output power and efficiency. However, there is an inherent contradiction between flow resistance and heat storage capacity in the regenerator. Large flow resistance or insufficient heat storage capacity will lead to deterioration Stirling generator performance. This paper proposes an innovative trapezoidal regenerator structure that trade off flow resistance and heat storage capacity. The trapezoidal regenerator consists of straight channels and corners. Among them, the straight channel has a regular flow space distribution, which reduces the flow resistance. The working gas mixing at the corners forms a vortex, leading to enhanced heat transfer. This structure effectively balances the flow and heat transfer characteristics of regenerator. Through numerical simulation and experiment test, the relationship between Reynolds number with friction coefficient and Nusselt number is measured. The results show that the NPH/NTU of trapezoidal regenerator is only 41 % of woven screen and random fiber, which has the best figure of merit. These studies prove the potential of trapezoidal regenerator in Stirling generator.

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  • Yang, Juhui & Huang, Wen & Feng, Yu & Jin, Zhangtao & Wu, Hao & Shuai, Zhikang, 2025. "Numerical and experimental investigation on flow and heat transfer characteristics of trapezoidal regenerator in Stirling generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:320:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225007583
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.135116
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