Two-dimensional model for tapered pulse tubes. Part 2: mass streaming and streaming-driven enthalpy flow loss Original Research Article

The effects of the taper angle and the frequency on the steady mass flux and the enthalpy flow loss associated with the steady mass streaming were analyzed by two-dimensional analysis of the tapered pulse tube. It was shown that the mass streaming could lead to a large steady second-order temperature. The enthalpy flow loss driven by the mass streaming increases as the frequency increases. For the pulse tube where the viscous penetration depth is far thinner than the inner radius, the enthalpy flow loss can be significantly reduced by tapering the pulse tube since the steady mass flux and the steady second-order temperature decrease as the taper angle increases.