Accepted Manuscript

Research Paper

Enhancement of Refrigeration Performance by Energy Transfer of Shock Wave

Dapeng Hu, Yang Yu, Peiqi Liu

PII: S1359-4311(17)35473-X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.11.040
Reference: ATE 11410

To appear in: Applied Thermal Engineering

Received Date: 23 August 2017

Revised Date: 3 November 2017
Accepted Date: 5 November 2017

Please cite this article as: D. Hu, Y. Yu, P. Liu, Enhancement of Refrigeration Performance by Energy Transfer of
Shock Wave, Applied Thermal Engineering (2017), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.11.040

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 Enhancement of Refrigeration Performance by
Energy Transfer of Shock Wave
Dapeng Hu, Yang Yu* and Peiqi Liu
School of Chemical Machinery, Dalian University of Technology, No.2 Linggong Road, Ganjingzi District, Dalian, Liaoning
116024, PR China

Abstract
The objective of this paper is to enhance the refrigeration performance by energy transfer of shock wave. The
matching of shock compression and expansion refrigeration is the key to research. Firstly, the efficiency of
shock wave transfer energy is discussed. Then, a two dimensional numerical model of wave rotor refrigeration
is established. And wave diagram is drawn by numerical calculation, which reveals the principle of
refrigeration and the relationship between pressurization and refrigeration. Finally, an experimental platform
was established and experiment work is carried out to obtain performance parameters. The results show that
shock wave compression is close to isentropic compression. Using the shock wave, the expansion work of
refrigeration can be efficiently recovered. Under the design condition, about 50% of pressure energy could be
restored. There are three main shock waves in the channels. Only shock wave S1 can be exploited to enhance
refrigeration and other shock waves should be avoided. There is an optimum value for the pressure of high
temperature port, which observably affects the temperature drop of the novel refrigerator. Under the
experimental condition, the performance curves of the refrigerator and temperature distribution in refrigerator
are obtained.
Keywords: energy transfer, wave rotor, shock wave, refrigerator

1. Introduction

Fig.1. the structure schematic of wave rotor Fig.2. the dynamic balance test
The wave rotor is a nonstationary flow device that utilizes different types of waves to exchange energy directly
between fluids [1]. By now, the Comprex® and a modern version called Hyprex® [2] are the distinguished and
commercially valuable wave rotor devices. The key structure of the wave rotor is that a series of channels are fixed
on a rotating shaft which is arranged in a circumferential direction, as showed in Fig.1 and the essential dynamic
balance test is shown in Fig.2. When the shaft rotates at a fixed speed, each channel is connected with different
nozzles in turn. Unsteady waves will generate and transfer the energy directly [3-5]. Models from 1D to 3D are
proposed to research wave rotors. Experimental analyses of pressure distribution in wave rotor channels have been
actualized by Okamoto K et al [6] and these data are used to verify the accuracy of the numerical model.
Nomenclature
COP coefficient of performance Wc compressor work without pressure recovery (J)

isentropic enthalpy change (J) Greek symbols

shock enthalpy change (J) expansion ratio or refrigeration pressure ratio

hx enthalpy value at specific point (J)  Generalized diffusion coefficient
enthalpy value after compression without adiabatic exponent
pressure recovery (J) shock compression efficiency
Ma mach number of gas
e expansion efficiency
Px pressure at specific point (Pa)
c compressor efficiency without pressure recovery
Qc refrigerating capacity (J)
pressure ratio of shock wave
R Gas constant (kJ kmol-1 K-1)
fluid density (kg m-3)
Generalized source term
coefficient of pressure energy recovery
source terms of momentum equation and
Generic Variable
energy equation
Subscripts
Tx temperature at specific point (°C)
I undisturbed area
t time (s)
II area which is scanned by shock wave
u Velocity decomposition in X direction(m s-1)
III high pressure area
v Velocity decomposition in Y direction(m s-1)
IV area which is scanned by expansion wave
Wa Actual work of compressor (J)

A mature application of wave rotor is the supercharger for internal combustion engine (ICE) [7]. It has the advantage
that efficiency is insensitive to the size of wave rotor. If the wave rotor is designed by the type of through flow (TF),
which means that, all flows travel in the same direction, it will have self-cooling capacity [8].
Furthermore, wave rotor can improve thermodynamic performance in gas turbines [9]. Since the early 1960s, GE
Company has been involved in researching technical prototypes of wave rotor [10]. NASA is a pioneer in the study
of wave rotor applications, and large amounts of experimental data have been obtained [11-15]. Akbari P and Müller
at Michigan State University [16-17] introduced an one-dimensional (1D) gas dynamic model to research flow
characteristics inside the wave rotor channels. Akbari P and Shining Chan et al studied the thermodynamic
performance by using the wave rotor [18-22]. Their research indicated that the whole efficiency and specific work
could be enhanced to 25–35%.

2
 Fig.3. wave rotor refrigerator in 2008 Fig.4.wave rotor refrigerator in 2013
Refrigeration is another application of wave rotor technology. Müller developed a novel wave rotor refrigerator,
which utilized R718 as an ideal refrigerant at Michigan State University [23]. Due to the increase in the heat
capacity of the working medium, the performance of refrigeration was greatly improved. On the basis of previous
work, Kharazi et al developed a three port condensing wave rotor, which worked in a water refrigeration cycle. The
result showed that the performance of R718 units could be improved significantly [24-25]. In the past decade, Hu
DP has developed a series of refrigeration equipment, which utilized wave rotor technology in the field of natural
gas dehydration and air refrigeration at Dalian University of Technology [26-28], as shown in Fig.3 and Fig.4.

Fig.5 novel refrigerator and platform Fig.6 the Principle of novel wave rotor Refrigeration
For a lengthy period, pressurization and refrigeration were two diverse aspects of wave rotor technology. The
pressure energy at the high temperature outlet cannot be recovered. Based on the previous work, a novel wave rotor
refrigeration platform was established, as shown in Fig.5. This was a multi-functional experimental platform. One of
the functions was to research that how to improve the performance of the refrigeration by utilizing the pressure
exchange characteristics of the wave rotor.
The Principle of the novel refrigeration is shown in Fig.6: Fresh air (1) accesses to rotor channels by inside
supercharging fan from low pressure (LP) port, then it is compressed by shock wave and discharged from high
temperature (HT) port. Fresh air compressed by shock wave (3) enters into the cool 1 to dissipate the quantity of
heat and then is compressed by the external compressor to gain the final expansion pressure (5). Dissipating the
quantity of heat in the cool 2, high pressure gas (6) charges into rotor channels from the high pressure port (HP) and
compresses the driven gases (2).Then, the cold gas (7) is expelled from rotor channels from low temperature port
(LT) by inside supercharging fan. By this way, a refrigeration cycle has been completed. In the channel, expansion
work is transmitted to fresh air by shock wave, which increases the pressure energy of the fresh air. So the
power dissipation of the external compressor is greatly reduced and the refrigeration performance of the
system is improved obviously. The wave rotor becomes the combination of compressor and expander.

3
Pressurization and refrigeration performance are obtained simultaneously in the wave rotor.
Hence, the performance of shock wave compression should be discussed at first. Then, a two dimensional wave
rotor refrigeration numerical model is established. Wave diagram is described by numerical calculation, which
reveals the principle of refrigeration and the relationship between pressurization and refrigeration. The matching of
shock compression and expansion refrigeration is the key to research. Finally, experiment work is carried out to
obtain performance parameters.

2. Energy Transfer of Shock Wave

In the channels of wave rotor, the energy can be transmitted by the wave system. The shock wave is a kind of non-
isentropic wave, which is used to recycle expansion work to enhance the performance of refrigeration. So,
pressurization ability of the shock wave should be researched firstly.

Fig.7. Sketch map of emanation process

Emanation process is showed in Fig.7. Zone I is undisturbed area. Zone II is an area which is scanned by the shock
wave. Zone III is the high pressure area. Zone IV is an area which is scanned by the expansion wave. An interface
has formed naturally. Crossing the interface, fluid maintains the same pressure.
Shock wave relations:

4
 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 η 1.0 1.5 2.0 Ma
1.0
22
35
20 π 4 α 0.93
18 Ma 30
η
16
25
14 3 0.8
12 20

Ma
π

η
10
15
8 2
6 10
common
4 5 0.6
2 1
0 0

0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 η 1.0 1.5 2.0 Ma

Fig.8. the relationship between and Fig.9. the relationship between and with
A shock wave is generated in oscillation tube, which moves to the right side of the channel. The shock wave
supercharging efficiency η means that the shock wave compression deviates from the isentropic compression. As
showed in Fig.8 and Fig.9, the η is falling when the Ma is increasing. In conventional industrial applications such as
dehydration technology for natural gas or high altitude ignition refrigeration technology, expansion ratio α is 1.5-6.
The η is more than 0.93, as showed in Fig. 9. Meanwhile, when the expansion ration α is tremendous, for instance, α
is nearly about 30, the Ma is less than 2.0 and the η is close to 0.8. For this reason, the shock wave in oscillation tube
is a weak shock wave and the shock wave supercharging efficiency is close to isentropic compression efficiency.
Hence, using the shock wave to recycle expansion work is efficient.

3. Numerical model and study

3.1 Numerical model establishment and numerical method validation

Numerical calculation method for wave rotor of axial intake was explained by Dapeng Hu [29]. Because
computer ability cannot meet the requirement of three-dimensional calculation, the wave rotor is spread along the
generatrix and a two-dimensional calculation model is established, as shown in Fig.10.

Fig.10 geometric model of wave rotor

The numerical model follows the mass conservation equation, momentum conservation equation and energy
equation. These equations can be written in a general form. In order to make the equation closed, the equation of
state of ideal gas is increased.

5
Each nozzle is static, channels move up at a fixed speed. The walls of channels are adiabatic. Top and bottom
boundaries of the model adopt periodic boundary conditions. There are two gaps at both ends of the rotor channel,
which are used to simulate circumferential gas leakage, other parameters are shown in Table 1. In the CFD
calculation, gap and channels are connected by the sliding mesh technique. The Realizable k-ε turbulence model and
standard wall function are adopted to resolve through the boundary layer. It emerges superior performance for
bounding layer under adverse baric gradient, rotational flow [30-31]. The shock wave can be captured perfectly by
using the AUSM numerical scheme [32]. Implicit integration algorithm is used in time domain. The Courant number
of the model is 3 and the fixed step of calculation time is 1e-5s. This paper still used Okamoto experimental
monitoring data [6] to compare numerical method, as show in Fig.11. The structural parameters of simulation and
experiment were shown in table 1. The change of wall pressure at P10 point with time was monitored and compared
with the experimental results.
Table 1. parameters of simulation and experiment
Geometry size Value
Channal length 186mm
Channal width 8/16mm
Channal height 16mm
Channel pitch diameter 120mm
Channel partition thickness 1.0mm
Gap 0.5mm
HP-port opening angle 0°
HP-port closure angle 29°
HT-port opening angle 13°

6
 HT-port closure angle 39.5°
Boundary parameters Inlet Outlet
Temperature K 288 288
Pressure MPa 0.26 0.1
Peripheral speed m/s 160 0
Axial velocity m/s 26.4 0

Pa
140000

130000

0.4mm
120000 0.5mm
1mm
2mm
110000 3mm
4mm

100000
0.0 0.1 s 0.2 0.3 0.4

Fig.11 validation of numerical method Fig.12 grid independence

For comparison, the experimental curves and the calculation curves are placed in the same chart. It is shown that the
first shock wave can be captured at about 200μs. And the reflected shock wave can be captured at about 1050μs. The
numerical results are proven to be in good agreement with the collecting data. However, numerical results still have
some deviations. The main reasons of accuracy error are that: (1) the ideal gas is used as the calculation medium. (2)
The adiabatic boundary condition is applied to model and the thermal conductivity of the pipe wall is ignored.
3.2 Numerical model analysis

Fig.13 whole system model and mesh

According to the numerical method and the novel principle of wave rotor refrigeration, the numerical model of the
experimental prototype is established, as shown in Fig.13. The wave rotor model contains 72 channels and each
channel is independent. Other parameters are showed in Tab.2. In order to simulate external pressurization and heat
dissipation, a source term region is added between the high temperature nozzle and the high pressure nozzle.
Momentum and energy source terms are added to this region. The boundary conditions of LP port and LT port are

7
pressure conditions. A monitoring line is set up in the model. The calculations are based on the commercial fluid
software: Fluent version 17.0.
As show in Fig.12, grid independence should be discussed when CFD is used in research. The whole model is
divided into structural grids and Quad element is used in the calculation model. Because the channel structure is
simple, the meshing type is Map. The number of grids is close to 300 thousand. In order to realize the periodic
connection between the channel and the nozzle, the sliding mesh technology is used to deal with the dynamic and
static mesh connectivity problem. Pressure in a channel is monitored and the computational accuracy of the
numerical model is poor when the minimum mesh is larger than 0.5mm.
Table 2. Other parameters of calculation model
Operating parameters Value
Refrigerant expansion ratio 1.5-5
Temperature of HP port 288K
Temperature of LP port 288K
Pressure of LP port 102KPa
Roating speed 2900RPM
Channal length 400mm
Channal width 14mm
Channel partition thickness 2mm
Number of channels 72
The deflection angle between HP and HT
(9-19.5)°
port
Gap 0.5mm
Width of HP port 28mm
Width of HT port 48-60mm

Number of nozzles 2（1port closed）

0.60

0.55
σ

0.50

0.45

0.40
1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0
α

Fig.14. Static pressure distribution diagram Fig.15. Pressure recovery capacity and expansion ratio
As shown in Fig.14, static pressure distribution diagram can be obtained when refrigeration pressure ratio is 2.
Pressure energy discharges at HT ports, which is recovered directly by shock wave. This part of the energy reduces
the power consumption of the external compressor. Two parameters can be defined: pressure energy recovery
capacity and COP. The reveals the ability of shock wave to recycle expansion work. The COP reflects the ability

8
to enhance refrigeration by using pressure exchange characteristics.
Hypothesis:

Definition:

When the refrigeration pressure ratio is determined, the relation between and COP is monotone increasing.
As shown in Fig.15, the relation between pressure recovery and expansion ratio is monotone decreasing. The
conclusion is consistent with the second section in the research. The compression capacity of shock wave is directly
reflected by the pressure of HT port. At the same time, the refrigeration capacity is reflected by the temperature drop.
When the refrigeration pressure ratio is fixed, increasing the back pressure of the HT port can reduce the power
consumption of the external compressor, and then improve the COP. However, the back pressure of the high
temperature port has some influence on the refrigeration performance. Hence, the matching of shock compression
and expansion refrigeration should be discussed.

Interface displacement

Fig.16 temperature distribution in a channel with time Fig.17 wave diagram for the novel wave rotor
As shown in Fig.16-17, the internal wave system of wave rotor is established based on the characteristics of various
waves and the temperature distribution. Each channel is sequentially moved up and periodically connected to the HP
port. Pressure waves are generated in the process of jetting. As soon as the pressure waves converge, the shock wave
S1 is generated (red line S1), which runs through the channel and compresses the low pressure gas inside channel.
When the shock wave S1 arrives at the end of channel, HT port must be opened. The low pressure gas after
compressed discharged into the HT port. Meanwhile, dilatational waves E2 are generated. Due to inertial action,

9
dilatational waves E1 are generated when HP port closes. These two expansion waves are the source of the
refrigeration.
If the HT port fail to open in time when the shock wave S1 arrives at the end of channel. Another shock wave S2
must be generated. It will reheat the cold area, which bring about a reduction in refrigeration efficiency. In addition,
the connection of channel and HT port is not a transient process, which is another reason to generate S2. The shock
wave S3 is caused by the mismatch between the width of the HT port and the backpressure of the HT port, which
can also reheat the cold area. Considering these three shock waves synthetically, S1 can be utilized to enhance the
refrigeration performance. The other shock waves S2 and S3 should be avoided. According to the theory of shock
wave: the shock wave S1 is reflected at the solid wall boundary to form a new shock wave S2 and the shock wave
S1 is reflected at the free boundary to form an expansion wave fan E2. Controlling the connection time between the
channel and the high temperature port is a practicable way to prevent the occurrence of shock wave reflection in
solid boundary. After analysis, due to incomplete exhaust at high temperature port, S3 could generate and be hard to
eliminate. However, the shock wave S3 is very weak, the influence is relatively limited. At present, the research on
S3 is relatively few. Some experimental validation is ongoing. Other waves are not associated with high temperature
ports, such as C1et al, which are not discussed in this article.

Fig.18 Interface displacement when is 1.5 Fig.19 Interface displacement when is 5

Interface displacement reflects the ability of expansion. Expansion ratio and backpressure of TH port are the two
core parameters, which influence the interface displacement. The influence of expansion ratio is showed in Fig.18-
20 and the influence of back pressure of TH port is showed in Fig.21. Some conclusions can be obtained in these
pictures:
a. The expansion ratio has a great influence on the interface displacement. The interface moves forward as the
expansion ratio increases.
b. The interface retreats as the backpressure increases. There are two explanations: (1) the dilatational wave E2 is
impacted by the backpressure of HT port, which induces the interface to move to the right. If the pressure of HT port
increases, the expansion wave E2 will be attenuated. The flux of HT port will reduce simultaneously. (2) The
backpressure of the HT port should match the width of HT port. In other words, the HT port is shut down when the
exhaust is finished at the HT port. If the backpressure of HT port increases, a backflow occurs at the end of exhaust,
which will push back the interface.

10
 0.6

0.5 α= 0.5

Interface displacement (m)

Interface displacement (m)
Pressure of HT port:125KPa α=0.4
Width of HP port :28mm α=0.3
Roating speed:2900RPM α=0.2
0.4 0.4

0.3

Width of HP port :28mm

0.2
Roating speed:2900RPM
0.2

0.0 0.1
1 2 3 4 5 120 150 180 210 240 270 300 330 360
expansion ratio (α) Pressure of HT port (KPa)

Fig.20 The relationship between expansion ratio Fig. 21 The relationship between pressure of HT port
and interface displacement and interface displacement
4. Experimental result and analysis
In the experiment, the Roots fan is used to achieve external pressurization. Due to the limitation of the Roots fan, the
highest inflation pressure is less than 0.155MPa. Hence, the expansion ratio is 1.495, which is the design point of the
whole equipment. The temperature distribution in the tube is obtained by numerical calculation, as shown in Fig.18.
Other parameters are designed and showed in Tab.2. By numerical calculation, the average temperature drop is 22℃,
and the maximum temperature drop in the channel is 28℃.
20
20
ΔT
π=1.495 π=1.495 ΔT
18 σ=0.53 PHP=151KPa
18
Php=151KPa n=48Hz
ΔT
ΔT

16
16

14
14

12
12
30 40 50
Hz
0.0 0.2 0.4 σ 0.6 0.8

Fig.22 the variation of temperature drop Fig.23 the variation of temperature drop
with changes of motor frequency with changes of pressure recovery coefficient
The relationship between temperature drop and motor frequency is showed in Fig.22. The largest temperature drop
of the whole system is approximately 19℃ under the expansion ratio 1.5. The isentropic expansion efficiency is
about 60% by calculation. The novel wave rotor has the best rotational speed, which is about 48Hz. There is only
one peak in the speed of the novel wave rotor refrigerator. Any deviation will lead to a reduction in cooling
efficiency. The result of numeral simulation basically is identical with that of experiment. Due to the influence of
heat transfer and leakage influence in the tube, there is a deviation between the calculated value and the
experimental value.
As shown in Fig.23, pressure recovery efficiency is not equal to zero. That means it is feasible to recycle expansion
work to enhance the COP by the shock wave. The optimal value of the pressure recovery coefficient is 0.5. When
the pressure recovery coefficient deviates from design value, the flow rate fluctuates at the HT port. The shock wave
S2 and S3 could sweep and heat the cold zone, which is the reason for the temperature rise.

11
As shown in Fig.24, in order to study the relationship between the pressure of HT port and temperature drop. A
series of temperature sensors are arranged on the end face of the wave rotor. The high pressure nozzles are arranged
at 0 degree (open) and 180 degree (closed). Temperature distribution is measured.

Fig.24 Layout of temperature sensors

As shown in Fig.25, under the experimental conditions, the optimum pressure of HT port is 125KPa. Deviating from
this pressure can cause temperature rise in the cold zone. The temperature near the HP port is much lower than other
regions, which is affected by other shock waves and compressional waves in the channel. There is a matching value
between the backpressure of the HT port and temperature drop. The experimental results agreed with the numerical
results.
25
P2=115KPa
P2=110KPa
P2=120KPa
Temperature drop (K)

P2=125KPa
20 P2=130KPa

15

α:1.5
10
Roating speed:2900RPM

30 60 90 120 150
Angle (θ)

Fig.25 Temperature drop at different angles

5. Conclusions
This paper aims to enhance the refrigeration performance by using the pressure exchange characteristics of wave
rotor. Some valuable conclusions are obtained by theoretical derivation, numerical calculation and experiments.
(1) The shock wave in the channel of wave rotor is a weak shock wave and the shock wave supercharging efficiency
is close to isentropic compression efficiency. Hence, using the shock wave to recycle expansion work is efficient.
(2) The relationship between the pressure recovery capacity and expansion ratio are gained by numerical calculation.
There are three main shock waves in the channels of wave rotor. Only S1 can be utilized to improve refrigeration
performance. Other shock waves should be avoided.
(3) Interface displacement reflects the ability of expansion. It is affected by the expansion ratio and the backpressure
of HT port. The expansion ratio has a great influence on the interface displacement. Increasing the expansion ratio is
beneficial to the moving of the interface. However, the effect of backpressure is the opposite. When the backpressure

12
of HT port increases, E2 is weakened and a backflow occurs at the end of exhaust, which push back the interface.
(4) The novel wave rotor refrigerator has the best design point and any deviation will lead to a reduction in cooling
efficiency. The optimal value of the pressure recovery coefficient is 0.53 when the maximum temperature drop is
obtained at the design point. The experiment also proves that it is feasible to enhance the refrigeration performance
by using of the wave rotor pressure exchange characteristic.
(5) The internal temperature distribution of the novel refrigerator is measured by a series of temperature sensors. The
exhaust temperature of each channel is not the same. The temperature near the HP port is much lower than other
regions. The change of backpressure at HT port has a great influence on the temperature drop at the regions, which
are disturbed by other shock waves, such as S2 and S3.
The limitation of the research is that the expansion pressure is relatively narrow in the experiment. Experimental
conditions should be improved to obtain more data under different pressure ratio conditions.

Acknowledgment
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21476036) and major
special project (2016ZX0566005-002).

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Highlights:
1. A method is proposed to enhance the refrigeration performance.
2. A multi-functional wave rotor refrigeration platform is established.
3. The performance of shock wave is discussed under the different expansion ratio.
4. The performance curves of the refrigerator and temperature distribution in refrigerator are
obtained.
5. The matching of shock compression and expansion refrigeration is discussed.