Effects of Heat Transfer on Thermodynamic Performance in Micro Swing Rotor Engine

  • XIA Chen ,
  • ZHANG Zhiguang ,
  • JIN Bo ,
  • HUANG Guoping ,
  • XU Jianhua
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  • College of Energy and Power Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China

Online published: 2025-10-28

Supported by

This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2014CB239602), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51176072).

Copyright

Science Press, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025

Abstract

This study investigates the direct impact of heat transfer on the thermodynamic performance of Micro Swing Rotor Engines (MSRE) through numerical analysis. To comprehensively address the influence of heat transfer, we employ a refined thermodynamic simulation model, incorporating a regressive correlation formula, and introduce a fluid-thermal weak coupling method to yield practical solutions. The numerical analysis reveals that heat transfer has profound effects on the performance of MSRE. Specifically, the temperature cycling curve experiences significant alterations, resulting in an increase in cycle-residual mass by 72.6% and a decrease in intake mass by 10.55% at a working frequency of 100 Hz. The pressure cycling curve is primarily affected during the compression and expansion processes, leading to a substantial rise in pressure during compression (reaching 1.055 MPa) while the contribution of combustion becomes less noticeable. Consequently, these changes increase engine power consumption during compression by 46.41% and reduce overall engine thermal efficiency by 30.23%. Additionally, an increase of the inner wall temperature by 100 K leads to a linear reduction in engine power by 0.1 kW and thermal efficiency by 0.5%. To mitigate these challenges, we propose practical heat management strategies, such as applying heat insulating coatings. The study underscores the critical roles of heat transfer in MSRE operation and provides insights for optimizing its thermodynamic performance, achieving a potential improvement of up to 54.68% in power output and 12.79% in efficiency.

Cite this article

XIA Chen , ZHANG Zhiguang , JIN Bo , HUANG Guoping , XU Jianhua . Effects of Heat Transfer on Thermodynamic Performance in Micro Swing Rotor Engine[J]. Journal of Thermal Science, 2025 , 34(6) : 1965 -1977 . DOI: 10.1007/s11630-025-2155-9

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