Abstract: The heat transfer and flow characteristics of regenerator in reciprocating Stirling engine is investigated with numerical and experimental methods. Two-dimensional, unsteady and compressible turbulence model is employed in numerical simulation. The axial temperature distribution, average temperature, pressure at inlet and outlet, axial thermal conductivity in regenerator is calculated and analysized in detail. The numerical simulation results indicate that the variety of temperature at inlet and outlet in regenerator is in accordance with the motion of piston, while the variety of regenerator temperature at inlet and outlet appears a delay. The porosity of regenerator has remarkable influence on average temperature and pressure loss. The axial thermal conductivity at ends of regenerator is superior to that at intermediate region. Meantime, the law of temperature variety obtained by experimental investigation is accord with the result from numerical simulation.

Key words: Compressive flow, Porous media, Reciprocating flow, Regenerator, Stirling engine