Effect of temperature distribution of thermal buffer tube on onset temperature in a straight-tube-type thermoacoustic prime mover

We investigated a thermoacoustic system to achieve low-temperature driving. Inputting heat to the stack causes unwanted heat flows through the tube wall and the working gas, i.e., heat leak. The heat leak generates the temperature distribution along the tube from the high-temperature side of the stack to the closed end. The section where the temperature distribution is formed is called the thermal buffer tube. In this study, we focused on the temperature distribution of the thermal buffer tube. We measured the temperature distribution of the thermal buffer tube and made a comparison between the onset temperature obtained from the experiment and the critical temperature obtained by stability analysis. The difference in the results was 6 °C. The analytical critical temperature changed significantly with the assumed shape of the temperature distribution in the thermal buffer tube.