97414

Stirling Energy Systems' (SES) Dish-Stirling Program

Kenneth W. Stone
McDonnell Douglas
5301 Bolsa Ave.
Huntington Beach, 92647
714-896-331 1, ext 6-9193
Fax: 714-896-3555

Harry W. Braun
Mary I. Moore
Terence 6.Clark
Stirling Energy Systems, Inc
6245 N 24th Parkway
Phoenix, AZ 85016
Ph: 602-957-1818
Fax: 602-957-1919

ABSTRACT
This paper describes a system to produce
electrical power from the sun, and the plans for
preparing it for commercial operation. The point-
focus, Stirling-engine-based system was designed
and tested in the 1980s by McDonnell Douglas
Corporation and United Stirling AB of Sweden (now
part of Kockums AB). Stirling Energy Systems
(SES) has acquired the existing hardware and
technology, and plans to upgrade the system in
order to utilize its demonstrated performance to
produce grid-compatible electrical power. The
performance includes a higher solar-to-electric
conversion efficiency than any other renewable
energy technology (approximately 30%), with the
potential of a two to four point increase. The paper
presents a summary description of the hardware, its
past test program, proposed improvements, and the
plan for commercialization.
INTRODUCTION
Stirling Energy Systems (SES) was formed in
1996 with the objective of acquiring, developing
and commercializing the production of electrical
energy from the sun using Dish-Stirling Point-
Focusing Distributed Receiver (PFDR) technology.
SES has raised funds through the private sector for
this venture and has acquired the intellectual and
technology rights to the McDonnell Douglas
(MDA) concentrator and the license to manufacture
the Kockums 4-95 Stirling engine-based-PCU in the
US and market it world wide, shown in Figure 1.
There are many different ways of converting the
sun's energy into electricity and one of the more
attractive options for dispersed-power systems is a
PFDR concept employing multiple parabolic dish
concentrators (Fujita, 1978). Several studies of
PFDR designs resulted in the selection of a concept
that provides for power production in the range of
20-60 kWe (Pons, 1979). Most studies of the

SES Dish Concentrator Develoued bv MDA Kockums Stirling PCU

FIGURE 1, THE MCDONNELLDOUGLASKOCKUMS DISH-STIRLING SYSTEM

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optimum type of heat engine to use for this
application show that the Stirling-cycle engine
yields the best system performance (Thornton, et
al., 1979; Pons and Clark, 1980). This is primarily
due to its inherently high efficiency on the order of
(40%) and projected low cost, particularly when
developed for volume production. The benefit of
high engine efficiency is due to its direct influence
on the amount of concentrator’s reflective area
(aperture) required for a given plant, since the
concentrator cost constitutes at least half of the cost
of the total system (Pons, 1980).
BACKGROUND
The modern Stirling engine was introduced by
the Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven,
The Netherlands, in their publications in 1946
based on work started in the late 1930s. N. V.
Philips licensed several companies to participate in
Stirling engine development, the most active
being United Stirling AB i n Malmo, Sweden
(USAB). USAB, formerly a subsidiary of both FFV
(Forenade Fabriksvefken) and the Kockums
shipyard, is now part of Kockums and continues
development of Stirling engines, primarily for
naval purposes.
One dish design for PFDR applications is the
McDonnell Douglas concentrator, eight units of
which were designed, built and tested extensively in
the 1980s. The concentrator has spherically curved
glass-mirror facets, mirror support structure,
pedestal, PCU support structure, and elevation and
azimuth drive systems. McDonnell Douglas
Aerospace, Huntington Beach, CA, designed the
system specifically for use with the Kockums
(USAB) “4-95” Stirling engine-based-PCU by
adjusting each mirror aim point so a specified solar
flux pattern is maintained i n the cavity receiver.
SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
Kockums started the development of the 4-95
Stirling engine by the early 1970s, by the late
1970s the design of a “solarized” version was
started under a DOE contract (Figure 2). This design
was evaluated in a PCU test program by the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), followed by the
Vanguard test program. About mid-way through the
Vanguard program, Kockums (then USAB) teamed
with MDA to develop and market a 25 kW dish-
Stirling system that is the subject of this paper.
The MDA dish was developed solely with
FIGURE 2 DESIGN AND TESTING OF THE KOCKUMS 4-95 STIRLING ENGINE-BASED-PCU
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These units have now been in the field for 13 years
without any measurable reduction in mirror
reflectivity; or change in mirror alignment, radius
of curvature or surface waviness. Stress cracks have
occurred in some mirrors, but they do not affect
system performance.
The first dish-Stirling unit operated at the
MDA, Huntington Beach, CA Test Site in November
of 1984; later two more concentrators were installed
there. MDA, under a cooperative agreement, also
installed and checked out a dish-Stirling unit at three
electric utility sites: Southern California Edison
(near Barstow, CA), Georgia Power, and Nevada
Power. A total of eight concentrators were
fabricated, seven were installed and have been or are
in operation today.
The test programs shown in Figure 2 resulted in
the 4-95 Stirling engine/PCU accumulating over
17,000 hours of on-sun power generation. In both
the Vanguard and MDA programs the system
achieved a net efficiency of approximately 30
percent (power output less parasitic power divided
by available direct solar insolation).
MDA chose to divest itself of all of its energy-
related projects in 1986, primarily due to surplus
electrical generating capacity by utilities. Southern
California Edison purchased the rights to the dish-
Stirling technology from MDA in January, 1987.
As part of the agreement, SCE loaned two
concentrators to MDA for space power development
and other testing. SCE continued evaluation and
improvement of the unit installed at the Solar One
Test Center near Barstow, CA through October,
1988. The 1980s testing resulted in a total of
13,500 hours of on-sun operating time and 118
MWh of energy generation using 9 different Stirling
engine PCUs and six different MDA dish
concentrators. Further results are presented in
Lopez and Stone (1995).
SYSTEM DESCRIPTIONIPERFORMANCE
A point-focusing distributed receiver (PFDR)
using Stirling engines consists of multiple power
modules, each having a parabolic dish concentrator
and a Power Conversion Unit (PCU) located at the
focal point. Each PCU has a cavity receiver, a
Stirling engine and a direct-coupled electric
generator (an induction alternator for the existing
SES PCUs). The power modules are interconnected
by a conventional electrical system which provides
the interface with the electric utility grid or other
I ,
FIGURE 4.SES DISH-S’IIRLING COMMERCIALIZATION PLAN
SES has completed negotiations for initiating
the Commercialization Plan with MDA and
Kockums. MDA will first prepare one of the SES
concentrators for test operation, and Kockums will
modify two 4-95 Stirling-engine-based PCUs. The
engine modifications will be divided into two
phases, in the first phase, improvements developed
by Kockums for their 4-275 submarine auxiliary
power unit will be incorporated into the two 4-95s.
This update will include seals, rings, and bearings.
In the second phase, the PCU controller will be
integrated into the system (plant) controller. The
electronics will be repackaged to reduce the
susceptibility to lightning, reduce the number of
connectors and the number of parts, and incorporate
new technology. The modified PCUs, designated
the Mark 111, will be tested on-sun at the MDA solar
test facility, and bench testing at an Allied Signal
facility using gas fuel burned in a conventional
“heater head” in place of a solar receiver.
When the second phase of PCU modifications
have been completed, four more PCUs will be
updated and tested both on-sun and in a test cell. In
late 1998, an advanced concentrator (“Second
Generation”) will enter the SES Commercialization
Program. After detailed concentrator performance
testing is completed, a Mark 111 PCU will be
mounted on the new dish and system performance
testing will commence. Design changes resulting
from module testing will be incorporated at the end
of the test program. A second advanced
concentrator is also planned to be fabricated and
used in the initial test program.
The design of a demonstration solar-Stirling plant
is scheduled to start in late 1997. This will include a
site selection and “balance of plant” design, which
involves all the elements tu install multiple
modules such as cable interconnects, site facilities,
etc. When the fabrication of the hardware starts
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I
(1998), the concentrators will first be assembled
and checked at the MDA solar test facility to verify
they meet specified performance criteria, then they
will be disassembled and moved to the demo plant
site. Preproduction PCUs will be bench tested using
natural gas-fired heaters in a test cell. Allied Signal
is currently conducting a manufacturing study for
SES to determine the manufacturing process and cost
to fabricate the Kockums 4-95 engines and other
PCU components in the US. In this plan, 20 to 40
preproduction Mark 111 PCUs will be built for the
Demo Plant and 10 to 20 Second Generation
concentrators will be fabricated.
SYSTEM COST
An estimate of the installed cost of a complete
power module as a function of the production rate is
shown in Figure 5. These results are based on a
detailed cost study done in 1992. The upper curve
represents the estimated cost for a 25 kW module
during the first year of production, a conservative
estimate manufacturing hours, and uses the baseline
concentrator without manufacturing cost reduction.
The middle curve represents the estimated cost for
the same 25 kW module in the 5th year of
production, after manufacturing automation and
further design changes to lower manufacturing costs
have been incorporated. The capability also exists
within the present module to increase the rated
power from the current 25 kW to approximately 35
kW by adding mirrors and making other
modifications. Thc bottom curvc shows the
decrease in the installed cost if the rated power can
be increased to 35 kW. An estimate of the levelized
Bus Bar Energy Cost (BBEC) of electrical power is
shown in Figure 6. The production rates are i n the
3-4000 units per year and gas is burned in a solar
hybrid receiver to increase the capacity factor.

1998 2001 2005 2013
YEAR
FIGURE 3. CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONA’S ENERGY FORECAST FOR NEW GENERATJNG CAPACITY
The Arizona Corporation Commission passed a
ruling in December of 1996 requiring the Arizona
utilities to generate 0.5% of their total demand load
by solar thermal electric by 1999 and another 0.5%
by year 2003. If they do not meet this requirement
the utilities can be penalized up to 30 cents/kWh.
Based upon the 1996 energy load, this would require
over 150 MW of utility-scale solar electric systems
be added by Arizona’s utilities between January,
1997 and January, 2003. Other utilities located in
the Southwest may experience similar legislation.
The significance of the Arizona “Solar
Portfolio” mandate is that it requires utilities to
purchase solar power on a scale where mass
production comes into play, i.e. makes solar
systems more competitive with fossil-fueled
systems. The latter by necessity are dependent on
fuels that have significant variations in supply and
price over the 30-year design life of the power
plant, obviously not a problem with solar plants.
COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRAM
The main difficulty with commercializing solar
thermal power systems is getting the components
into mass production to reduce the high initial cost
of the plant so that it can compete with
conventional power system. A small percentage of
the new generating capacity shown in Figure 3 is
sufficient to commercialize and maintain a
production line if the system can compete with the
competition. The Arizona mandate is a vehicle
which can be used to get the solar thermal power
system into mass production such that it can
compete. The SES plan is to use this mandate to get
the components into mass production.
Commercialization of solar power plants in the
range of 10 to 100 MW needs companies with the
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financial capability to provide a warranty for their
products. SES has formed a team consisting of
McDonnell Aerospace (MDA) for the lead technical
role, Kockums for updates to Stirling engine
technology, and Allied Signal for a manufacturing
study of PCU production and possible future
production. Other team members are also being
considered. MDA will provide the day-to-day
technical management, conduct system integration,
and produce the concentrator.
The SES Dish-Stirling Commercialization Plan
is aimed at the alternate energy market developing
in the early 2000s, as discussed above. The major
milestones of the commercialization plan are shown
in Figure 4. The plan has been integrated with
current MDA solar programs to take advantage of
new collector technology. Current MDA solar
programs include the Israel Central Receiver
program which is investigating state-of-the-art
collector technology such as glass, drive
mechanisms, pedestal and support structure designs,
and control systems. MDA also has a NREL SolMat
contract to investigate the use of composite
materials to lower the manufacturing cost of
concentrator structural members. The second phase
of this program has a plan to fabricate an advanced
concentrator design, funded by SES. In addition, the
top bar in Figure 4, labeled “Integrated Solar Upper
Stage”, is a MDA program to develop a lightweight
facet using composite. Some of the technology and
analysis programs developed on this program will
be applied to terrestrial programs. The vertical
lines indicate the flow of new and refurbished
hardware from the different programs to a demo
plant.
type of user. A central computer control operates either at a factory or in the field. Structural design
the plant - which may consist of hundreds or requirements were driven by wind loading, not
perhaps thousands of power modules - without the supported weight. Full power generation (no power
need for site attendants. degradation) can be maintained in wind speeds up to
The 4-95 Stirling engine was first tested in 6 m/s (13.5 mph), and power generated in winds up
1976 in the USAB laboratory. Originally called the to 16 m/s (36 mph) with no more than a 1 to 5%
P40, the designation was changed to 4-95 to reflect degradation in output. The module (dish plus PCU)
four double-acting cylinders each with a can survive a 40 m/s (90 mph) wind in the face-up
displacement of 95 cc. The four cylinders are (stow) position. Additional design characteristics
parallel (or U-crank configuration), with dual are shown in Table 3 (Lopez and Stone, 1993).
crankshafts. The working fluid, hydrogen, moves
continuously back and forth between the top of one
piston and the bottom of the next one. Between
these two spaces the gas receives the concentrated
solar energy through metallic tube walls in the
receiver, and moves through two other components
which are key to the high efficiency of Stirling
engines: the regenerator and the cooler. Typical
I Concentration at:
Focal Point I7500 suns
characteristics of the 4-95 Stirling engines used in
earlier solar programs are summarized in Table 1 and
characteristics of the PCU are listed in Table 2.

TABLE 1. CHARACTERISTICSOF KOCKUMS 4-95

STIRLLNG ENGINE.

-.... .....- -. The on-sun test period of 1984-88 resulted in

Max. Output Power 21 kW
Rated Output Power 22 kW
Rated Power Efficiency 38-40%
TABLE 2. PCU CHARACTERISTICS
The dish concentrator tracks the sun and
focuses the solar energy on the receiver of the PCU.
The existing concentrators have 82 spherically-
curved mirror panels or facets, and locations have
been provided for six additional mirrors for a
maximum total reflective area of 97 m2. Each
mirror measures 0.91 by 1.2 m (3 by 4 ft), and has a
reflective surface of commercial grade back-silvered
float glass. Each mirror can be aligned to focus on a
different receiver aim point to provide a specified,
uniform flux over the engine heater tubes within the
receiver. The mirrors are aligned using a Digital
Imaging Radiometer (DIR) mirror-alignment
system developed by MDA (Stone and Blackmon,
1997). The DIR is also used to measure and verify
the actual flux distribution within the receiver.
The concentrator was designed to be modular;
the support structure is composed of six
subassemblies which can be quickly integrated
the MDA/USAB module demonstrating net peak
electrical power efficiency of 29 to 30% (at 1000
W/m2solar insolation) as measured by MDA, SCE
and Georgia Power. The use of an Annual Energy
Performance Model (Lopez and Stone, 1995)
estimated an annual efficiency of 24%, which
accounts for outage losses, high wind losses,
clouds, etc. Recent technology developments will
improve the performance of the concentrator and
especially the engine, so that an increase in the net
peak power efficiency to 32 to 34% should be
achievable, resulting in a commensurate decrease in
energy costs.
DEVELOPING MARKETS
A surplus of electrical energy developed in the
mid-to-late 1980s and the need for additional
generating capacity from conventional power
plants, and especially alternate energy sources such
as solar, was nonexistent. Since that time on-line
plants are older, several have been decommissioned
(especially nuclear), and few new ones have been
built. Therefore there is a developing market,
especially by utilities in the Southwest, for base,
mid-load, and peaking power generation. Reports
by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and
the Arizona Energy Commission shows a growing
electrical market developing in the early 2000s, as
shown in Figure 3. The new market estimated by the
CEC includes both new power plants and cost-
effective replacement of existing capacity.

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 8000

7000 5 kW Low Cost Estimate

5 kW Low Cost Estimate

z
. 6ooo
5000 I I
0)
0
4000
W
2 3000
2
cn
z 2000

1000

0
100 1000 10000 100000 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
PRODUCTlUON RATE (Unitsh’ear) CAPACITY FACTOR (%)
FIGURE 5. ESTIMATE OF INSTALLED COST. FIGURE 6. ESTIMATE OF BBEC.

SUMMARY
SES has assembled a team of experienced firms Pons, R. L. and Clark, T. B., “A Dish-Stirling Solar
with the capability of manufacturing an upgraded Thermal Power System”, Int. J. of Ambient
version of the MDAKJSAB-designed solar-powered Energy, Vol. 1, No. 3 (July 1980).
Dish-Stirling system at high production levels of Pons, R. L., “Optimization of a Point-Focusing,
solar modules, and also warranting the product. SES Distributed Receiver Solar Thermal Electric
has obtained the rights to manufacture the MDA System”, ASME J. of Solar Energy
concentrator and the USAB/Kockums 4-95 Stirling Engineering, Vol. 102, pp. 272-280 (Nov.
engine. In the first phase of the commercialization 1980).
plan, design improvements for manufacturing and Stone, K. W., Blackmon, J. B., Digital Image
new technology will be incorporated, existing Radiometer (DIR) Optical Measurement of
hardware will be modified and tested, new modules Mirror Characteristics and Mirror Alignment,
will be manufactured, and the units will be installed 1997 ASME International Solar Energy
in a demonstration plant and undergo an extensive Conference, Washington, D.C., April 27-30,
test program. 1997.
Stone, K. W., Lopez, “Performance of the Southern
REFERENCES California Edison Company Stirling Dish,”
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Berry, D., Williamson, R., Bahl, P., Keene, B., Thornton, J. P., et al., “Comparative Ranking of 1-
Sable, R., Gray, R., Washington R., “ Staff 10 MWe Solar Thermal Power Systems”,
Report On Resource Planning,” Arizona Executive Overview, SERI/TR-35-238, Sept.
Corporation Commission, Nov. 1993. 1979.
Doane, J. W. ,et al, “The Cost of Energy from
Utility-owned Solar Electric Systems,” JPL
5040-29. ERDA/JPL-1012-76/3 EPRI, June
1976.
Fujita, T., et al., “Techno-Economic Projections for
Advanced Dispersed Solar-Thermal Electric
Power Plants, Years l990-2000”, DOE/JPL-
1060-7814, Nov. 1978.
Imbrecht, C. R., “Electricity,” California Energy
Commission, 1995.
Lopez, C. W. and Stone, K. W., “Design and
Performance of the Southern California Edison
Stirling Dish”, ASME J. of Solar Energv, Vol.
2, pp. 945-952.
Pons, R. L., “A Solar-Stirling Small Power
System”, IECEC Paper No. 799244, 14th
IECEC Proceedings, 1979.

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