Abstract
The article discusses the development and the experimental study of a four-stage Thermoacoustic Engine (TAE) with a loop resonator by using the traveling acoustic wave effect. The aim of the research is to improve the efficiency of converting thermal energy into electrical energy for autonomous power supply, including in rural areas. An original design of a TAE with an increased area of heat exchangers and regenerators operating in air at atmospheric pressure and equipped with four linear alternators is proposed. An experimental study of the dependence of the acoustic and electrical characteristics of the engine on the temperature of the coolant and the geometric parameters of the steps has been carried out. The frequency and the power temperature dependencies have been obtained, and it is also confirmed that the starting temperature is about 80 °C, and the maximum efficiency achieved has been about 4% at a heating temperature of up to 110 °C. The work confirms the prospects of using multi-stage TAEs in low-power cogeneration systems.