Seminar Report on Stirling Engine

1. “STIRLING
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQ
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
RAJASTHAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, KOTA
PACIFIC COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, UDAIPUR,
A
Seminar Report
on
STIRLING ENGINE”
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIRMENT FOR AWARD OF
THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
SUBMITTED TO
RAJASTHAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, KOTA
SUBMITTED BY
(SHIVAM KUSHWAH)
13EPAME064
FEBRUARY, 2017
PACIFIC COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, UDAIPUR,
RAJASTHAN
UIRMENT FOR AWARD OF
RAJASTHAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, KOTA
PACIFIC COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, UDAIPUR,

3. i
DECLARATION
I, Shivam Kushwah here by declare that this report is the record of authentic work carried by
me during the academic year 2017
Signature of the student
(H.O.D. Of Mechanical Engg.)

4. ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We are greatly thankful to all those who have given me the opportunity of doing
Seminar in Pacific College of Engineering.
Also thanks for support by Mr. Akshat Singh Jhala for his unwavering assistance
in making Report on Stirling Engine.
We are very grateful for the encouragement, guidance and assistance that he
accorded us from the beginning of the Presentation to its successful completion.
Date..................... (SHIVAM KUSHWAH)

5. iii
ABSTRACT
Worldwide attempts are being made to increase the use of our renewable energy
sources as well as to use our current fossil fuel energy sources more efficiently.
Waste heat recovery from the Power plants or To take advantage of solar energy
to drive Stirling engine and is the focus of this project. Stirling technology finds
application in both the renewable energy sector and in waste heat recovery.
Investigating the applicability of Stirling engines in the above-mentioned fields is
relevant to develop more efficient external combustion units as well as to utilize
our renewable energy sources. The aim of this project was to design, build, and
test a Stirling engine capable of generating electrical power . Several designs were
studied before settling on an gamma type configuration based around a one-
cylinder air compressor.

6. iv
INDEX
Declaration i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii
ABSTRACT iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ii
TABLE OF FIGURES v
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT vi
1.CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION: 1
1.1.What’s a Stirling engine? 1
1.2.A brief History of the Stirling engine 2
1.3.Why design a Stirling Engine? 3
1.4.power generaion and stirling engin (CHB SYSTEMS) 4
1.5.stirling engine as aprime mover 7
1.6. scope of design 7
2.CHAPTER TWO:THEORITICAL REVIEW 8
2.1Introduction 8
2.1.1.Basic Components 8
2.2.Operation and Configuration 9
2.2.1.Gamma Configuration 10
2.2.2. Alpha configuration 11
2.2.3. Beta Configuration 12

7. v
2.3.Carnot Cycle 14
2.4. The Stirling Cycle 14
Conclusion 16
REFERENCES 17

8. Page-1
1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 a Stirling engine?
A Stirling engine is a heat engine operating by cyclic compression and expansion of air at
different temperature levels such that there is a net conversion of heat energy to mechanical
work.
Like the steam engine, the Stirling engine is traditionally classified as an external combustion
engine, as all heat transfers to and from the working fluid take place through the engine wall.
This contrasts with an internal combustion engine where heat input is by combustion of a fuel
within the bod
engine encloses a fixed quantity of air [1].
As is the case with other heat engines, the general cycle consists of compressing cool gas,
heating the gas, expanding the hot gas, and finally cooling the gas before repeating the cycle.
The efficiency of the process is narrowly restricted by the efficiency of the Carnot cycle, which
depends on the temperature between the hot and cold reservoir.
The Stirling engine is exceptional for of its high efficiency compared to steam engines, quiet in
operation and the ease with which it can use almost any heat source. This is especially significant
as
Competition from Internal combustion
the nail on the coffin for the
Stirling type of engine because it generated more power and proved to be more practical in the
automobile industry.
Due to the rigorous solar energy exploration taking place in the developed economies, this old
technology is being given a newer and fresher approach.
In jordan scenario, the Stirling engine hopes to offer energy to rural and marginalized areas
where the most common sources of energy include:

9. Page-2
Biomass fuel from burning of charcoal, firewood, rice husks, coal, maize cobs among
others
Biogas- which has become of great use in the rural areas for both cooking and lighting
Solar heating- which has made its debut in the rural areas as an alternative means of
cooking energy through use of solar concentrators.
1.2 A brief History of the Stirling engine:
Reverend Robert Stirling
On September 27, 1816, Church of Scotland minister Robert Stirling applied for a patent for his
economizer in Edinburgh, Scotland. The device was in the form of an inverted heat engine, and
incorporated the characteristic phase shift between the displacer and piston that we see in all
Stirling Engines today[2].
The engine also featured the cyclic heating and cooling of the internal gas by means of an
external heat source, but the device was not yet known as a Stirling Engine. That name was
coined nearly one hundred years later by Dutch engineer Rolf Meijer to describe all types of
closed cycle regenerative gas engines.
Stirling originally regarded his engine as a perpetual motion machine of the second kind (i.e. all
heat supplied would be converted into work even though his original hot air engine did not
include a cooling system.
Due to the invention of the more powerful internal combustion engine at the middle of the 19th
century, the Stirling technology was abandoned. But even so, the Stirling engine had an extra
advantage over the steam engine due to its low operating cost. Also, the steam engine was prone
to major failures like explosions. The only major problem with the Stirling engine was its
tendency to fail when the cylinder being heated became too hot.

10. Page-3
Although improvements were made to curb up the problem, stiff competition from the internal
combustion engine forced the hot air engine out of the commercial scene.
Over the years, researchers have continued on Stirling engines, working out many of the design
solutions that are used today in low temperature differential Stirling engines.
1.3 Why design a Stirling Engine?
There are several reasons to use a Stirling Engine [3] :
1 .
cylinder there are no explosions needed to run the pistons like in an Otto or
Diesel engine. There are no ignitions, no carburetion because you only need
one kind of gas and no valve train because there are no valves. This was a big
advantage to the steam engines in the days when Stirling invented his engine
because it was much less dangerous to work next to a Sterling Engine than to a
common steam engine.
2. Inside the pistons can
have to refill it because it uses always the same body of gas.
3. To produce heat you can use whatever you want: fuel, oil, gas, nuclear power
and of course renewable energies like solar, biomass or geothermal heat.
4. The external combustion process can be designed as a continuous process, so
the most types of emissions can be reduced.
5. If heat comes from a renewable energy source they produce no emissions.
6

11. Page-4
used a lot in submarines. E.g. in the Royal Swedish Navy.
7. They can be constructed to run very quiet and practically without any
vibration.
8. They can run with a small temperature difference, e.g. with the heat of your
hand or from a cup of hot coffee. They can be used as little engines for work
which needs only low power.
9. They can run for a very long time because the bearings and seals can be placed
at the cool side of the engine
be checked very often ( longer period between the overhauls ).
10. They are extremely flexible. The engine can run as a CHP (combined heat and
power) because the heat which is produced to run it can easilybe collected. Or
in summers they can be used as coolers.
1.4 Power Generation Technologies and Stirling engine ( CHP SYSTEM ) [4] :
CHP is the sequential or simultaneous generation of multiple forms of useful energy
(usually mechanical and thermal) in a single, integrated system. CHP systems consist of a
number of individual components prime mover (heat engine), generator, heat recovery, and
electrical interconnection configured into an integrated whole.
The type of equipment that drives the overall system (i.e., the prime mover) typically
identifies the CHP system. Prime movers for CHP systems include steam turbines, gas turbines
(also called combustion turbines), spark ignition engines, diesel engines, microturbines, and fuel
cells.
These prime movers are capable of burning a variety of fuels, including biomass/biogas,
natural gas, or coal to produce shaft power or mechanical energy. Additional technologies are
also used in configuring a complete CHP system, including boilers, absorption chillers,

12. Page-5
desiccants, engine-driven chillers, and gasify. Although mechanical energy from the prime
mover is most often used to drive a generator to produce electricity, it can also be used to drive
rotating equipment such as compressors, pumps, and fans. Thermal energy from the system can
be used in direct process applications or indirectly to produce steam, hot water, hot air for
drying, or chilled water for process cooling.
The industrial sector currently produces both thermal output and electricity from biomass
in CHP facilities in the paper, chemical, wood products, and food processing industries. These
industries are major users of biomass fuels utilizing the heat and steam in their processes can
improve energy efficiencies by more than 35 percent. In these applications, the typical CHP
system configuration consists of a biomass-fired boiler whose steam is used to propel a steam
turbine in addition to the extraction of steam or heat for process use.
The following technologies are discussed in this section, with specific respect to their ability to
run on biomass or biogas. A synopsis of key characteristics of each is shown in Table 1-1.
1. Steam turbines : Convert steam energy from a boiler or waste heat into shaft power.
2. Gas (combustion) turbines, including microturbines : Use heat to move
turbine blades that produce electricity.
3. Reciprocating internal combustion (IC) engines : Operate on a wide range of
liquid and gaseous fuels but not solid fuels. The reciprocating shaft power can
produce either electricity through a generator or drive loads directly.
4. Fuel cells : Produce an electric current and heat from a chemical reaction between
hydrogen and oxygen rather than combustion. They require a clean gas fuel or
methanol with various restrictions on contaminants.
5. Stirling engines Operate on any fuel and can produce either electricity through a
generator or drive loads directly.

13. Page-6
Table 1 : Comparison of Prime Mover Technologies Applicable toBiomass

14. Page-7
1.5 Stirling engine as a prime mover [5]
in the near term at least, the Stirling engine is the best of the available options. But there are
many myths that surround this type of prime mover. One intention of this review is to inject a
measure of objectivity into the claims that are often made for Stirling engines. Another is to
consider why the time is ripe for CHP system and how, in the longer term, it could provide a
secure basis for power generation .
converts the fuel or solar energy to electrical or mechanical power, should be logical and
realisti
Achilles heel.
Stirling engines generally are small in size, ranging from 1-25 kW although some can be up to
500 kW. The Stirling engines are 15-30% efficient in converting heat energy to electricity, with
many reporting a range of 25 to 30% . The efficiency of modern Stirling generators is more than
40% .Stirling engines are expected to run 50000 hours between overhauls, and free-piston
Stirling engines may last up to 100000 hours . The cost of 1 kWh of power from a cogeneration
system is 3 4 times less than for centralized power systems, and the heat generated is essentially
free .
1.6 Scope of design
The Stirling engine we designed and fabricated was in two pieces: a normal Stirling engine that
could be heated externally using an open flame and a detachable solar concentrator that could be
placed in front of the Stirling engine to take advantage of solar heat. A gamma configuration of
the engine was chosen, whose working shall be explained further in this report.
The aim of choosing this design was to make the manufacturing cost of this engine low and keep
it simple. The design and fabrication of the engine are also documented in this report.

15. Page-8
2 CHAPTER TWO: THEORITICAL REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
The Stirling engine has over the years evolved. The most common configurations include the
Alpha, Beta and Gamma. These vary in the arrangement of the different parts including the
displacer, piston and flywheel.
The Stirling engine operates on the Stirling cycle that has a theoretical efficiency close to the
Carnot efficiency. In the theory developed later, it is noted that addition of a regenerator in the
configuration improves the overall performance and increases the output power ofthe system.
2.1.1 Basic Components
A Stirling engine consists of a number of basic components, which may vary in design
depending on the type and configuration. The most basic are outlined as follows:
Power Piston and Cylinder
This consists of a piston head and connecting rod that slides in an air tight cylinder. The power
piston is responsible for transmission of power from the working gas to the flywheel. In addition,
the power piston compresses the working fluid on its return stroke, before the heating cycle. Due
to the perfect air tight requirement, it is the most critical part in design and fabrication.
Displacer Piston and Cylinder
The displacer is a special purpose piston, used to move the working gas back and forth between
the hot and cold heat exchangers. Depending on the type of engine design, the displacer may or
may not be sealed to the cylinder, i.e. it is a loose fit within the cylinder and allows the working
gas to pass around it as it moves to occupy the part of the cylinder beyond.
Source of Heat
The source of heat may be provided by the combustion of fuel, and since combustion products
do not mix with the working fluid, the Stirling engine can run on an assortment of fuels. In
addition, other sources such as solar dishes, geothermal energy, and waste heat may be used.

16. Page-9
Solar powered Stirling engines are becoming increasingly popular as they are a very
environmentally friendly option for power production.
Flywheel
The flywheel is connected to the output power of the power piston, and is used to store energy,
and provide momentum for smooth running of the engine. It is made of heavy material such as
steel, for optimum energy storage.
Heat Sink
The heat sink is typically the environment at ambient temperature. For small heat engines, finned
heat exchangers in the ambient air suffice as a heat sink. In the case of medium to high power
engines, a radiator may be required to transfer heat from the engine.
2.2 Operation and Configuration [6]
Since the Stirling engine is a closed cycle, it contains a fixed mass of gas called the "working
fluid", most commonly air, hydrogen or helium. In normal operation, the engine is sealed and no
gas enters or leaves the engine. No valves are required, unlike other types of piston engines. The
Stirling engine, like most heat engines, cycles through four main processes: cooling,
compression, heating and expansion. This is accomplished by moving the gas back and forth
between hot and cold heat exchangers, often with a regenerator between the heater and cooler.
The hot heat exchanger is in thermal contact with an external heat source, such as a fuel burner,
and the cold heat exchanger being in thermal contact with an external heat sink, such as air fins.
A change in gas temperature will cause a corresponding change in gas pressure, while the motion
of the piston causes the gas to be alternately expanded and compressed.
When the gas is heated, because it is in a sealed chamber, the pressure rises and this then acts on
the power piston to produce a power stroke. When the gas is cooled the pressure drops and this
means that less work needs to be done by the piston to compress the gas on the return stroke,
thus yielding a net power output.

17. Page-10
In summary, the Stirling engine uses the temperature difference between its hot end and cold end
to establish a cycle of a fixed mass of gas, heated and expanded, and cooled and compressed,
thus converting thermal energy into mechanical energy. The greater the temperature differences
between the hot and cold sources, the greater the thermal efficiency. The maximum theoretical
efficiency is equivalent to the Carnot cycle; however the efficiency of real engines is less than
this value due to friction and other losses.
The specific operation of Stirling engines differs from one configuration type to another. These
are distinguished by the way they move air between the hot and cold sides of the cylinder. There
are three most common basic configurations:
Gamma type: This design also uses a mechanical displacer to push the working gas
between the hot and cold sides of the cylinder, but the displacer is housed in a separate
cylinder for easier mechanical fabrication.
Alpha type: This design has independent cylinders and a gas driven between the hot and
cold spaces.
Beta type: This design uses an insulated mechanical displacer to push the working gas
between the hot and cold sides of the cylinder. The displacer piston runs though the
2.2.1 Gamma Configuration
A gamma Stirling is simply a beta Stirling in which the power piston is mounted in a separate
cylinder alongside the displacer piston cylinder, but still connected to the same flywheel. The gas
in the two cylinders can flow freely between them and remain a single body. This configuration
produces a lower compression ratio but mechanically simpler and often used in multi-cylinder
Stirling engines as shown in figure 2.1.

18. Page-11
Figure 2.1The gamma configuration Stirling engine1
2.2.2 Alpha configuration
As shown in figure 2.2 Alpha Stirling contains two pistons in separate cylinders, one hot and one
cold. The hot cylinder is situated inside the high temperature heat exchanger and the cold
cylinder is situated inside the low temperature heat exchanger. This type of engine has a high-to-
power volume ratio but has technical problems due to the usually high temperature of the hot
piston and durability of its seals.
1. Most of the working gas is in contact with the hot cylinder
walls, it has been heated and expansion has pushed the hot piston to
the bottom of its travel in the cylinder. The expansion continues in
the cold cylinder, which is 90° behind the hot piston in its cycle,
extracting more work from the hot gas.
2. The gas is now at its maximum volume. The hot cylinder piston
begins to move most of the gas into the cold cylinder, where it cools
and the pressure drops.

19. Page-12
3. Almost all the gas is now in the cold cylinder and cooling
continues. The cold piston, powered by flywheel momentum (or
other piston pairs on the same shaft) compresses the remaining part
of the gas.
4. The gas reaches its minimum volume, and it will now expand in
the hot cylinder where it will be heated once more, driving the hot
piston in its power stroke.
Figure 2.2: The Alpha configuration Stirling engine2
2.2.3 Beta Configuration
Last figure 2.3 in this section is A Beta Stirling has a single power piston arranged within the
same cylinder on the same shaft as a displacer piston. The displacer piston is a loose fit and does
not extract any power from the expanding gas but only serves to shuttle the working gas from the
hot heat exchanger to the cold heat exchanger. When the working gas is pushed to the hot end of
the cylinder it expands and pushes the power piston. When it is pushed to the cold end of the
cylinder it contracts and the momentum of the machine, usually enhanced by a flywheel, pushes

20. Page-13
the power piston the other way to compress the gas. Unlike the alpha type, the beta type avoids
the technical problems of hot moving seals.
1. Power piston (dark grey) has compressed the gas, the displacer piston (light grey)
has moved so that most of the gas is adjacent to the hot heat exchanger.
2. The heated gas increases in pressure and pushes the power piston to the farthest
limit of the power stroke.
3. The displacer piston now moves, shunting the gas to the cold end of the cylinder.
4. The cooled gas is now compressed by the flywheel momentum. This
takes less energy, since when it is cooled its pressure drops.
Figure 2.3: The Beta configuration Stirling engine

21. Page-14
2.3 Carnot Cycle [7]
Carnot, a French Scientist showed that the most efficient possible cycle is one in which all the
heat supplied is at one fixed temperature, and all the heat rejected is rejected at a lower
temperature. The cycle therefore consists of two isothermal processes joined by two adiabatic
processes. Since all processes are reversible, then the adiabatic processes in the cycle are also
isentropic. The cycle is most conveniently represented on a T-S diagram as shown below (figure
2.4).
Figure 2.4: The Carnot cycle on a T-S diagram
(2.1)
2.4 The Stirling Cycle [8]
2.4.1 Basic Stirling cycle
The Stirling cycle comes closest to the Carnot cycle efficiency while having a higher work ratio.
Despite the fact that the efficiency may not be practical in real fabrication and testing, the
Stirling engine gives the best output.
The idealized Stirling cycle consists of four thermodynamic processes acting on the network of
the fluid; as shown blew in (figure 2.5):
i. 2-3: Isothermal expansion: the expansion space and associated heat exchanger are
maintained at a constant high temperature and the gas undergoes isothermal
expansion absorbing heat from the heat source.

22. Page-15
ii. 3-4: Constant volume heat removal: the gas is passed through a regenerator where it
cools transferring heat to the regenerator for use in the next cycle.
iii. 4-1: Isothermal compression: the compression space and associated heat exchanger
are maintained at a constant low temperature so that the gas undergoes isothermal
compression, rejecting heat to the cold sink.
iv. 1-2: Constant volume heat addition: the gas passes back through the regenerator
where it recovers much of the heat transferred in (2) above, heating up on its way to
the expansion space.
Figure 2.5: The Stirling cycle on a P-V & T-S diagram
Theoretically, heat is supplied to the working fluid in the process 2-3 where the gas expands
isothermally (T2 = T3). Further, heat is rejected to an external heat sink in the process 4-1 where
the gas is compressed isothermally (T1=T4). The two isothermals are connected by the constant
volume processes 1-2 and 3-4, during which the temperature changes are equal to (T2 - T1).