Efficiency Reduction in Stirling Engines Resulting from Sinusoidal Motion

Salvatore Ranieri, Gilberto A. O. Prado and Brendan D. MacDonald
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Salvatore Ranieri: Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4, Canada
Gilberto A. O. Prado: Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4, Canada
Brendan D. MacDonald: Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, ON L1H 7K4, Canada

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: Stirling engines have a high potential to produce renewable energy due to their ability to use a wide range of sustainable heat sources, such as concentrated solar thermal power and biomass, and also due to their high theoretical efficiencies. They have not yet achieved widespread use and commercial Stirling engines have had reduced efficiencies compared to their ideal values. In this work we show that a substantial amount of the reduction in efficiency is due to the operation of Stirling engines using sinusoidal motion and quantify this reduction. A discrete model was developed to perform an isothermal analysis of a 100cc alpha-type Stirling engine with a 90 ? phase angle offset, to demonstrate the impact of sinusoidal motion on the net work and thermal efficiency in comparison to the ideal cycle. For the specific engine analyzed, the maximum thermal efficiency of the sinusoidal cycle was found to have a limit of 34.4%, which is a reduction of 27.1% from Carnot efficiency. The net work of the sinusoidal cycle was found to be 65.9% of the net work from the ideal cycle. The model was adapted to analyze beta and gamma-type Stirling configurations, and the analysis revealed similar reductions due to sinusoidal motion.

Keywords: Stirling engine; efficiency; thermodynamics; sinusoidal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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