SOLAR STIRLING

ENGINE

UNDER THE GUIDENCE OF

Mr.E.RAMBABU,M.Tech
D.NAGARJUNA
Assitant professor
(11JN1A0212)

BY

HISTORY
Inventor = Robert
Stirling (1790 - 1878)
Sought to replace the
steam turbines of his
days due to frequent
explosion caused by
unsustainable
high
pressure killing and
injuring workers
Invented
Stirling
engine in 1816 which
could not explode and
produce more power
then th steam engine
used.

WHAT IS STIRLING ENGINE ?

Device that converts heat energy to mechanical
power by alternately compressing and expanding a
fixed quantity of working fluid at different
temperatures.
Regeneration as alternative.

WHY STIRLING ENGINE?

Best teaching and learning for any engineering
students device especially in the field of
thermodynamics.
Unique technology.
An innovation with hundreds of application.
An innovation with a mission to save the earth.
Fuel independency.

MAIN COMPONENTS
Power piston small tightly sealed piston that moves
up when the gas inside the engine expands
Displacer larger piston and it is very loose in its
cylinder so air can move easily between the heated
cooled sections of the engine as the displacer moves
up and down
These piston move by the action of compression and
expansion.
Difference in pressure causes the piston to move
and produce power.

WORKING PRINCIPLE
I.

One side of the engine is continuously heated

while the other side is continuously cooled.

II. First, the air moves to the hot side, where it is

heated and it expands pushing up on a piston.
III. Then the air moves through the regenerator to the
cold side, where it cools off and contracts pulling
down on the piston.
IV. Temperature change inside the engine produces
the pressure change needed to push on the piston
and make the engine run.

EFFICIENCY
Theoretically
Stirling engine efficiency = Carnot efficiency
Unfortunately working fluid or gas is not ideal this
causes the efficiency to be lower than Carnot
efficiency.

In fact, Stirling engine efficiency depends on

Temperature ratio (proportionally)
Pressure ratio (inversely proportional)
Specific heat ratio (inversely proportional)

ALPHA STIRLING ENGINE

BETA STIRLING ENGINE

ADVANTAGES
Various heat sources (solar, geothermal, nuclear
energy, waste heat, biological)
Environmental friendly
Heat is external and the burning of a fuel-air mixture
can be more accurately controlled.
Operates at relatively low pressure and thus
much safer than typical steam turbines

are

Less manpower needed to operate any type of

commercial Stirling engine.

APPLICATIONS
Water pump stations
Combined heat and power plant
Solar power generation
Stirling cyrocoolers
Heat pump
Marine engines
Nuclear power
Aircraft engines
Micro CHP

APPLICATION
WATER PUMP STATION
A Stirling engine used for
pumping
water
can
be
configured so that the water
cools the compression space.
This is most effective when
pumping cold water.

APPLICATION
STIRLING CYROCOOLERS
Any Stirling engine will also work in reverse as a
heat pump. When a motion is applied to the shaft, a
temperature difference appears between the
reservoirs.
NUCLEAR POWER
Replacing the steam turbines of the nuclear power
plant with Stirling engine might simplify the plant,
yield greater efficiency, and reduce the radioactivity
by products.

CONCLUSION
Unlimited source of heat source
Political awareness of green heat and power
production.
Large market experiencing rapid growth.
Many different possible applications.
Time to change.