Study of Stirling engine heat sources 2: Optimum plain tube engine heater designs
Abstract
The overall efficiency of the Stirling engine is the product of thermodynamic and mechanical efficiencies of the engine itself and the efficiency of the external heat source. Various designs for a plain tube engine heater were evaluated in order to determine the heater configuration which yields the smallest internal volume while maintaining a high overall efficiency of the external heating system at the required total heat flow rate to the engine. Results indicate that a smaller internal volume is obtained if small tube diameters, close spacing, and multiple rows of tubes are specified in the heater design.
- Publication:
-
A Collection of Stirling Engineering Reports from General Motors' Research, 1958 to 1970
- Pub Date:
- April 1978
- Bibcode:
- 1978cser.nasaR....S
- Keywords:
-
- External Combustion Engines;
- Stirling Cycle;
- Stirling Engines;
- Structural Design Criteria;
- Tube Heat Exchangers;
- Computer Aided Design;
- Engine Design;
- Heat Transmission;
- Thermodynamic Efficiency;
- Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics