Thermoacoustic phenomena can be modelled by means of analytical closed-forms and numerical models. This paper includes results related to the modelling of the thermoacoustic engine operation. A simplified analytical model of the engine is presented and the obtained results are compared to the calculations performed for the numerical model using the Ansys CFX software package. A number of assumptions and simplifications adopted in both models are discussed in detail. The object of the comparisons is to determine the reliability of modelling of the thermoacoustic engine operation and to evaluate the suitability of the models for solving inverse problems or problems related to optimization. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.