PRINCIPLES AND

APPLICATIONS OF
STIRLING ENGINES
C. D. West
Oak Ridge National

Laboratory

VAN NOSTRAND REINHOLD

New York

CONTENTS
Preface/v
1.

STIRLING ENGINES AND THEIR APPLICATORS/1

Basic Principles/1
Characteristics of the Stirling Engine/6
Applications/9
Artificial Heart Power/9
Underwater Power Units/11
Space Power/14
Remote Power Sources/15
Military Ground Power/17
Heat Pumping/18
Automotive Engines/21
Solar Thermal Conversion/22
Summary/24
Recommended Further Reading/25

2.

THE STIRLING ENGINE CYCLE/27

Displacer Action/27
Power Piston/30
Work Output/30
Adiabatic Losses/33
Transient Heat Transfer or Hysteresis Loss/42
Appendix Gap Losses/48
Pressure Drop or Windage Loss/53
Leakage Losses/55
Summary/56
Recommended Further Reading/56

3.

KINEMATIC ENGINESGAMMA, BETA AND ALPHA/57

Single Acting Engines/57
Gamma Engines/57
ix

Contents

Beta Engines/58
Alpha Engines/60
Double Acting Engines/63
Franchot Engine/63
Siemens Engine/64
Piston Drive Mechanisms/66
Simple Crankshaft/67
Rhombic Drive/68
Ross Linkage/70
Swash Plate/70
Power Control/73
Summary/74
4.

HYBRID AND FREE PISTON ENGINES/75

Hybrid Engines/75
The Ringbom Engine/75
The Martini Displacer/79
Single Acting Free Piston Engines/83
Gamma Free Piston Engine/83
Beta Free Piston Engine/85
Overdriven and Resonant Free Piston Engines/86
Centering Ports/89
Double Acting Free Piston Engines/91
Free Piston Siemens Engine/91
Balanced Compounding/92
Summary/94
Recommended Further Reading/94

5.

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF REAL ENGINES/95

Power Output/95
Efficiency/99
External Heat Source/102
Exhaust Emissions/104
Quietness and Smoothness/105
Reject Heat Availability/107
Longevity and Reliability/109
Summary/111

6.

STIRLING ENGINE ANALYSIS/113

First Principles and Correlations/114
Analytical Techniques/120

Contents

Closed Form Thermodynamic Solutions/120

Linear Harmonie Analysis/121
Vector or Phasor Analysis/132
Computer Modeling of Stirling Machines/136
Summary/141
Recommended Further Reading/141
PRINCIPLES OF STIRLING ENGINE HEAT EXCHANGERS/143
Working Fluid Heat Exchangers/144
Regenerator/144
Heaters and Coolers/151
Heat Transfer Rate/154
External Heat Exchangers/155
The Air Preheater/153
Final Heat Sink/157
Isothermalization and Direct Cylinder Heat Transfer/158
Oscillating Flow Effects/162
Summary/164
TWO HIGH PERFORMANCE ENGINES/185
The United Stirling 4-95/165
General Layout/167
Engine and Heat Exchangers/168
Seals/174
Drive Unit/179
Power and Combustor Control/179
Heat Sources/180
The 4-95An Appreciation/186
The Sunpower Spike/186
Dynamics/187
Engine and Heat Exchangers/189
Transient Heat Transfer, Appendix Gap and Conduction
Losses/191
Heat Sources/193
Summary/193
INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS/195
The Thermomechanical Generator/195
The Fluidyne Liquid Piston Engine/200

xi

xii Contents

The Sunpower Rice Husk Engine/206

The Martini Three-Layer Displacer/209
Two-Phase Working Fluids/211
Summary/216
Recommended Further Reading/216
APPENDIX 1 THE VUILLEUMIER MACHINE/217
APPENDIX 2 EFFICIENCY TERMS FOR STIRLING ENGINE
SYSTEMS
by / . L. Crowley/221
REFERENCES/231
Name Index/241
Organizational Index/243
Subject Index/245