A CFD parametric study on the performance of a low-temperature-differential γ -type Stirling engine

Chen, Wen Lih; Yu, Yang; Salazar, Jose Leon

doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2015.10.007

Cited by 33 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…To calculate the performance of the Stirling engine, researchers developed computer fluid dynamic modes in commercial software [6]. Robson et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Analysis Model Combining Gamma-Type Stirling Engine and Power Converter

Shih

2019

Energies

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Waste heat is a potential source for powering our living environment. It can be harvested and transformed into electricity. Ohmic heat is a common type of waste heat. However, waste heat has the following limitations: wide distribution, insufficient temperature difference (ΔT < 70 K) for triggering turbines, and producing voltage below the open voltage of the battery. This paper proposes an energy harvester model that combines a gamma-type Stirling engine and variable capacitance. The energy harvester model is different from Tavakolpour-Saleh’s free-piston-type engine [7.1 W at ΔT = 407 K (273–680 K)]. The gamma-type Stirling engine is a low-temperature-difference engine. It can be triggered by a minimum ΔT value of 12 K (293–305 K). The triggering force in the variable capacitance is almost zero. Furthermore, the gamma-type Stirling engine is suitable for harvesting waste heat at room temperature. This study indicates that 21 mW of energy can be produced at ΔT = 30 K (293–323 K) for a bias voltage of 70 V and volume of 103.25 cc. Because of the given bias voltage, the energy harvester can break through the open voltage of the battery to achieve energy storage at a low temperature difference.

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“…To calculate the performance of the Stirling engine, researchers developed computer fluid dynamic modes in commercial software [6]. Robson et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Analysis Model Combining Gamma-Type Stirling Engine and Power Converter

Shih

2019

Energies

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“…Chen et al [17] developed an in-house CFD model to simulate gamma-type LTD Stirling engine. Several geometrical and operational parameters effect including pistons strokes, radius of power piston, hot and cold temperature difference and speed, on engine performance were investigated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of phase angle and dead volume on gamma-type Stirling engine power using CFD simulation

Alfarawi

Al-Dadah

Mahmoud

2016

Energy Conversion and Management

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“…Many models have been presented in recent years, including empirical [5][6][7][8], analytical [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] and numerical approaches. For numerical models, they can be categorized into second-order , third-order [47][48][49][50] and multi-dimensional computational fluid dynamics [51][52][53][54] methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Féniès et al [46] used an equivalent electrical network model to account for the gas, mechanical dynamics and global energy equilibrium for a free piston Stirling engine. Due to the complexity and difficulty of the methods, fewer work have been done on third-order models [47][48][49][50] and multi-dimensional computational fluid dynamics models [51][52][53][54].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A transient one-dimensional numerical model for kinetic Stirling engine

et al. 2016

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A third-order numerical model based on one-dimensional computational fluid dynamics is developed for kinetic Stirling engines. Various loss mechanisms in Stirling engines, including gas spring hysteresis loss, shuttle loss, appendix displacer gap loss, gas leakage loss, finite speed loss, piston friction loss, pressure drop loss, heat conduction loss, mechanical loss and imperfect heat transfer, are considered and embedded into the basic control equations. The non-equilibrium thermal model is adopted for the regenerator to capture the oscillating features of the gas and solid temperatures. To improve the numerical stability and accuracy, the implicit second-order time difference scheme and the second-order upwind scheme are adopted for discretizing the time differential terms and convective terms, respectively. Experimental validations are then conducted on a beta-type Stirling engine with the extensive experimental data for diverse working conditions. The results show that the developed model has better accuracies over previous second-order models. Good agreements are achieved for predicting various critical system parameters, including pressure-volume diagram, indicated power, brake power, indicated efficiency, brake efficiency and mechanical efficiency. In particular, both the experiments and simulations show that the Stirling engine charged with helium tends to have much lower optimal working frequencies and poorer performances compared to the hydrogen system. Based on the analyses of the losses, it reveals that the pressure drop in the flow channels plays a critical role in shaping the different behaviors. The pressure drop in the helium system is much larger and more sensitive to the frequency increase due to the much larger viscosity of gaseous helium. Hydrogen is a superior working gas for a Stirling engine. The transient characteristics of the oscillating flow and the associated thermal interactions between gas and solid in the regenerator are finally analyzed in order to have an insight of the complex thermodynamic process. The study provides a promising numerical approach in simulating Stirling engines for further understandings of their operating characteristics and the underling mechanisms.

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A CFD parametric study on the performance of a low-temperature-differential γ -type Stirling engine

Cited by 33 publications

References 14 publications

An Analysis Model Combining Gamma-Type Stirling Engine and Power Converter

An Analysis Model Combining Gamma-Type Stirling Engine and Power Converter

Influence of phase angle and dead volume on gamma-type Stirling engine power using CFD simulation

A transient one-dimensional numerical model for kinetic Stirling engine

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