FUTURE TECHNOLOGY

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STIRLING ENGINE
SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY FOR FUTURE ENERGY
Robert Stirling (1790-1878)

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 the 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 Displacer

Main Chamber
Output Shaft Crankshaft Regenerator

COMMON CONFIGURATION

Working Principle

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.

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.

Alpha Stirling Engine

Beta Stirling Engine

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)

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 are much safer than typical steam turbines 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
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.

Cool Stuff
Solar Stirling engine Uses reflected sun rays as heat source Green energy Could power a city

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.

Thank You