Influence of finite heat capacity of solid pins and their spacing on thermoacoustic performance of transverse-pin stacks

Thermoacoustic systems with intermittent stacks represent a promising alternative to conventional stacks with continuous solid structures aligned with primary acoustic motions. In this paper, a transverse-pin array setup is modeled with a Lagrangian method of moving gas parcels. An important limitation of performance in this system is the finite heat capacity of solid pins. The effects of solid heat capacity and some other system parameters are investigated and reported. The developed numerical model can be used for optimization of novel thermoacoustic devices.