Derivation and numerical case study of a one-dimensional, compressible-flow model of a novel free-piston Stirling engine

B.J.G. de la Bat, T.M. Harms, R.T. Dobson and A.J. Bell

Energy, 2020, vol. 199, issue C

Abstract: Free-piston Stirling engines have in recent years attracted renewed interest worldwide for uses specifically relating to micro-combined heat and power generation. To aid prospective engine researchers with the modelling and analysis of such engines, this paper presents the derivation and numerical simulation of an exemplary, single-acting free-piston Stirling engine. A transient third-order theoretical model was derived from first principles, by discretising the working fluid and the regenerator metal-mesh into one-dimensional arrays of finite-sized control volumes. The working fluid transport equations and the non-linearised dynamic equations of the displacer and power piston were solved sequentially using a fully-explicit, transient numerical scheme with first-order upwind differencing. To demonstrate the usefulness of this model, sample simulation results are presented as a case study to the anticipated operation of a novel, 100 W engine prototype. Thereafter, a sensitivity study was conducted in which the power piston load, hot-end temperature and charge pressure was varied. From the sensitivity study, it is recommended that a control system be developed and implemented so as to ensure the steady oscillatory motion of both displacer and piston without collisions occurring.

Keywords: Free-piston; Stirling engine; Modelling; Simulation; Third-order model; Compressible flow (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544220305119
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:199:y:2020:i:c:s0360544220305119

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2020.117404

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().