Hydrogen/Oxygen Propellant Densifier Thermoacoustic Stirling Heat Engine

A unique, patent pending, thermoacoustic propellant densifier for the simultaneous densification of hydrogen and oxygen propellants for aerospace vehicles is introduced. The densifier uses a high‐pressure amplitude, low‐frequency Thermoacoustic Stirling Heat Engine (TASHE) coupled with a uniquely designed half‐wave‐length resonator to drive a pulse tube cryocooler using a Gas Helium (GHe) working fluid. The extremely reliable TASHE has no moving parts, is water cooled, and is electrically powered. The helium‐filled TASHE is designed to ASME piping codes, which enables the safe inspection of the system while in operation. The resonator is designed to eliminate higher‐order harmonics with minimal acoustic losses. A system description will be presented, and experimental data on both the TASHE and the resonator will be compared with analytical results.