Influence of compression-expansion effect on oscillating-flow heat transfer in a finned heat exchanger

Compression and expansion of a working gas due to the pressure oscillation of an oscillating flow can lead to a temperature variation of the working gas, which will affect the heat transfer in the oscillating flow. This study focuses on the impact of the compression-expansion effect, indicated by the pressure ratio, on the heat transfer in a finned heat exchanger under practical operating conditions of the ambient-temperature heat exchangers in Stirling-type pulse tube refrigerators. The experimental results summarized as the Nusselt number are presented for analysis. An increase in the pressure ratio can result in a marked rise in the Nusselt number, which indicates that the compression-expansion effect should be considered in characterizing the heat transfer of the oscillating flow, especially in the cases with a higher Valensi number and a lower maximum Reynolds number.