Stirling Engines

My own Work

• The ideal Stirling Cycle and Heat Load on the Regenerator This includes a short discussion on ideal vs. real gases and the influence of the working fluid on the heat load of the regenerator via the ratio of specific heats.
  
  
• Engines without dedicated heater and cooler space ( or DHT (Direct Heat Transfer) engines ) Many of these types of Stirling engine are known by the phrase LTD (Low Temperature Differential) engines. We are in the process of developing a sequence of programs of ever increasing sophistication of simulating such Stirling engines. Follow the link and see what's available to investigate power vs. RPM and influence of phase lag between displacer and power piston.
  
  
• Schmidt Analysis and Optimization Here I use the Schmidt analysis to find optimal configurations ( volumes and volume phase lag ) for Stirling Engines and perform some calculations on the heating loads for compression, kooler, regenerator, heater, and expansion space.
  
  
• Ideal Adiabatic Simulation This includes a development of the relevant mathematical equations based on conservation of mass and energy using ideal gas as working fluid. A links to several web-based programs is available which determine estimates of power output and other engine characteristics based on a modest amount of input parameters using the concepts of the ideal adiabatic simulation and allow optimization of engine parameters.
  
  
• Some mechanical drives used in conjunction with Stirling Engines. Includes evaluation of some of the drives and links to web-based computer programs for the more complicated cases.
  
  
• Investigation of the 4-bar linkage (bowtie mechanism) to convert circular into (almost) linear motion. This section contains a link to a web based programs to achieve optimum linearity.
  
  

External Information

Information I gleaned off the web and from discussions of user groups like SESUSA (Stirling Engine Society - USA, english) , HAES (HotAirEngineSociety, english), and stirlingmotor ( Entwicklung und Bau von Stirling Maschinen , German ). My heartfelt thanks to all of their members for many worthwhile thoughts.

• Important Sites on the Web
  
  
• Technical Reports, NASA, NIST etc.
  
  
• Measuring devices
  
  
• Solar Application
  
  
• Books I have come across
  
  
• Tools and Techniques of the Machine Shop
  
  
• Materials, where to get them and some related hints
  
  
• Design Ideas by others
  
  
• Animations on the web
  
  
• Renewable Resource Data Center, managed by the United States Department of Energy. Good resource on data about solar energy , boimass , wind etc.