Experimental testing of the flow resistance and thermal conductivity of porous materials for regenerators

In this paper, we will focus on the experimental testing of flow resistance and thermal conductivity of several different stainless steel mesh screens which are expected to be used as regenerator material in thermoacoustic devices. The flow resistance test was conducted in both steady and oscillatory flow conditions. Therefore, the friction factor in both of these conditions were obtained and compared. The measured results were expressed as the correlation between Fanning friction factor and Reynolds number. These were subsequently
compared to Kays and London’s data, originally taken for a steady flow of and using only a limited number of samples, but nevertheless widely used in designing devices employing oscillatory flow conditions. The thermal conductivity of the regenerator materials was also measured in this study using a standard method (i.e. ASTM E1225 Test Method). The results were expressed as a thermal conductivity degradation factor (TCDF). The results are presented and discussed in detail.