A numerical and experimental investigation of free-cylinder Stirling engine operation
Date
2016-06-10
Authors
Banks, Douglas Ian
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Abstract
A numerical' and experiruental. investig~tion ~£free~cylinder Stirling engines
is repbited. Tllis work evolved from an attempt to de~,elop a palt.icular freecylinder
Stirlingengineif::oncept, such that commerci~~lmanufa<:ture and application
as .tll~power source for a wateP pu.mp could be. coosidered. Available
desigI(~QoIs' 'were not. dirittly applicable .to the engine being ~onsi<:lered. .The
linea'f altalysis technique (coupled ~ith segond orderheat tra~sferj,thermody:
gamic and "loss ,analysis), dey-eloped and implernented as 18 computer, program~
e by nM Bercho~i~,z was therefore ext~nded to allow the simulation of free-cylinder engines. .The ,s~lut.ipn procedure (follows ~ more, gen~raHzed
fqrm than that adopted by Betr~hovvttz.. As a ]."esrutsymbolic manipulation
..and solution of the equations was impracticaL However numericalroot map
gen~rat!oIl and ,the simple pr?~uction of force vector ~iagrams q,llr,)ws useful
design mformatlon babe obtained: ~0
n .. _ '. '.' .r, ' _ . ". ,' ' _ ' " -'~-::~_, ,; Experimentah~orkwas carried out .on-two very diff,~rent machines. 'A Sufi;'
p,ower free-cylinder Stirling ,',engni,e,pr,ototype Jb,Q.elded,disapopi,,ntlllg.•res,u,lts, a~ ,.' '. _'!7.. . ,the engine did, not run: satisfactorily. However the. data gathered provides a
useful check of the general applicability of t11-ecouple4 analysis, method. The
second engine, a modified S,1lnpowerModel B-lO,Demonstra.~T 'yielded motion
and pressure data .over a wide l'al1ge bf operating conditions} The effects o£" \I
changes in parameters such as,thl:fcase-ground spring stiffness, di~placer spring
stiffness, case mass, charge pressure, Qot-end temperature and load. were explored.
Agreement between experlmentalreeults arid simula,tio\l:r~s41ts uS~flg
the coupled analysis is reasonable, particularly when one consicI'ersoi;hewid~
range of operatin;g conditions over which the compari§on is made.
" , , /.(""" ,0 ,
Description
A thesis, submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwa,t(m~~
rand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy. -;;.,
Johannf,'"~l)Urg,. April'25, 1994