Track: Energy

Abstract

The Stirling engine was an industrial one invention to address the problem of constant explosions of steam engine boilers due to excessive pressures.  The Stirling engine converts heat energy to torque. The salient safety feature is based on temperature difference rather than pressure difference of the  steam engine. The efficiency of the Stirling engine vests with its geometric and thermodynamic properties such that under ideal conditions, the thermodynamic efficiency equals that of a Carnot cycle.  The Stirling engine operates on a closed thermodynamic cycle. The thermodynamics of the system pertains to the working fluids and heat transfers whilst, the geometric design incorporates the configuration, crank mechanism, sizing and layout. The efficiency of the Stirling engine decreases with an increase in cylinder size, thus multiple smaller cylinders systemically connected to a single crank shaft are more efficient than a bigger single cylinder engine.  This paper reviews the design of a Stirling engine to be powered by a laboratory concentrated solar energy heat source. The idea emanated from Nasa’s 10kW KRUSTY nuclear powered electrical generator that was designed for the Mars expedition.