STEADY-FLOW C(F)-N(RE) CORRELATION FOR THE WIRE GAUZE REGENERATOR INFERRED FROM LINEAR WAVE ANALYSIS

Linear wave analysis of unsteady flow in the wire mesh regenerator is extended to account for viscous losses (shear at the wall and abrupt change in the free-flow area). As a test of relevance to the Stirling gas circuit, the standard, unsteady-flow momentum equation is re-expressed in terms of the algebra (admittance ratios, pressure ratios) of the linear wave approach. This permits the steady-flow friction factor, C(f), to be extracted and plotted as a function of Reynolds number, N(re). The resulting correlation is found to correspond closely to the experimentally determined counterpart. An explanation is found for the discrepancy noted between computed and observed pressure drops in the Stirling cycle machine.