Flow Resonance-Induced Temperature Rise for Thermal Impact Enhancement of Cavitation Reactor Systems
Journal
Applied Sciences (Switzerland)
Journal Volume
16
Journal Issue
12
Start Page
5729
ISSN
20763417
Date Issued
2026-06
Author(s)
Liao, Mou-Yung
Pan, Yu-Hsiang
Wu, Xin-Yuan
Wu, Po-Hsien
Yeh, Jong-Fu
Hsieh, Yu-Yuan
Lan, Kuan-Che
Chen, Yi-Tung
Huang, Bin-Juine
Abstract
It has been observed in prior research that high thermal impact—resulting from a large temperature difference between hot water vapor and cold liquid water—can enhance the thermal performance of cavitation-induced low-energy nuclear reactions (LENRs) in water, with an estimated increase in the coefficient of performance (COP) of approximately 50% for every 100 °C temperature rise. The temperature of the hot water vapor is primarily determined by the boiler output, which typically represents the highest temperature source and plays a dominant role in reactor performance. In this study, a flow oscillator was designed as an thermal conditioning component for these potential LENR reactor systems using linear flow network analysis (LFNA) to generate flow resonance that elevates the hot vapor temperature, thereby increasing thermal impact and improving LENR performance. LFNA is based on the linearization of the fluid flow equations governing mass and momentum transport and utilizes a fluid-electric circuit analogy. For a fluid flow system, various components can be modeled using analogs of electrical resistance, capacitance, and inductance (R, C, and L), allowing the system behavior to be analyzed similarly to an RLC circuit. Through this analogy, flow resonance phenomena can be predicted, potentially enabling the generation of high-temperature and high-pressure responses that are beneficial to LENR processes. The analytical model was experimentally validated and subsequently applied in the LENR reactor design. The analytical result shows that an output temperature difference exceeding 350 °C can be achieved using a 0.5 m pulse tube at a 46 Hz triggering frequency with 20 kPa perturbation, which indicates a potential COP enhancement of 175% based on prior studies. The result provides a potential mechanism to significantly enhance the thermal impact conditions and promote LENR performance in water-based reactor systems.
Subjects
electric circuit analogy
flow oscillation
pulse tube
system dynamics
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Type
journal article