Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Vol. 8, No. 2, November 2017, pp. 350 ~ 359

DOI: 10.11591/ijeecs.v8.i2.pp350-359  350

Gamma Stirling Engine for a Small Design of

Renewable Resource Model

Syed Mohamad Hisyam Wan Dawi, Muhammad Murtadha Othman*, Ismail Musirin, Amirul
Asyraf Mohd Kamaruzaman, Aainaa Mohd Arriffin, Nur Ashida Salim
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA,
40450 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
*Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected]

Abstract
This paper presents a research on designing a heat engine known as the Stirling engine. The first
task is to study on the background of Stirling engine including its robustness, advantages and
disadvantages, history and its ability to produce useful energy. Gamma type Stirling engine will be the
main focus for this paper. Thus, an effort has been made in determining a suitable formulation that will be
used to design a functioning Gamma Stirling engine. This formulation can be divided into several criteria,
th
the Stirling cycle method used to find the p-V diagram of Stirling engine, the 0 order calculation method
used as a preliminary system analysis on the efficiency and performance of the engine and lastly, the
Schmidt Analysis whereby used in dealing with the design and development of the engine. This
formulation is then arranged accordingly into Excel programming software. As for the hardware analysis, it
will be on the performance of the Stirling engine model in term of its electrical power production based on
different heat source. At the end of this project, it shows that the obtained formulations can be used in
designing the Gamma Stirling engine and are capable to produce an output power from the Stirling engine.

Keywords: Stirling engine; Gamma Stirling engine; formulation; Stirling cycle; Schmidt analysis; power
production.

Copyright © 2017 Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
The development of advanced technologies that help to provide energy is one of the
challenges that people nowadays still try to solve, from the use of fire and animal’s power to the
present use of electricity and engines. Engines have been powering our world since the
beginning of time as we know todays. Starting from steam engines that used coal to power up,
and then come a much cleaner and more efficient type of engine know as gasoline engines [1].
Also, the quest of human being to develop engine that capable to produce a high
power, high torque and most essentially no pollution and environmental friendly is still on since
the discovery and development of the first engine. Stirling engine is just one step forwards in the
creation of a noise free and pollution less engine.
Stirling engine is also known as external combustion engine in which it works in a
closed cycle known as Stirling cycle. It was first invented by Robert Stirling in the year 1816 [2].
This Stirling engine was used back in the days as a rather low power water pumping engine
from nineteenth century to 1920 before a more reliable internal combustion engine and electric
motor replaced it [3].
A working process of Stirling engine consist of two zones known as hot and cold sides
maintained at different temperatures and the working gas inside the engine will travelled
between it to extract work similar to other heat engines. However, the differences are that this
engine does not require any valves because the working fluid never leaves the engine and can
be used over and over again. The working fluid can be air, hydrogen or helium [4]. This engine
is basically an external combustion engine that capable to operate using almost any type of
heat source [2].
Some of the advantage of Stirling engine is that it can be designed using very few
moving parts and required less maintenance than other engine. It is more reliable and less
harmful for environment compare to an internal combustion engine [5].

Received July 21, 2017; Revised September 30, 2017; Accepted October 20, 2017
IJEECS ISSN: 2502-4752  351

To develop this type of engine, some parameter will need to be specified. Therefore, in
this project, the main focus is to determine and acquired a list of formulations that can be used
to estimate the Stirling engine process and its development. It also has to prove that this
formula can achieve the same parameter values similar to an actual Stirling engine. By using
the formulations, it will design and build a working Gamma type of Stirling engine and followed
by analyzing the model based on its performance using different heat source.

2. Gamma Stirling Engine

A Gamma Stirling engine is one of the simplest and easiest types of Stirling engine
compare to its Alpha and Beta counterpart. It is simply a Beta Stirling engine in which the
displacer and power piston is mounted in a separate cylinder but still connected to the same
flywheel. This type of engine work will with low heat source compare to its others counterpart
that required much higher heat for it to work [2].
The working process of a Stirling engine starts by heating the engine with an external
heat source at the hot side of the engine. The gas inside the engine will expand upon heating
thus push out the displacer piston inside the cylinder and provide power stroke by the displacer
piston. By doing so, the gas will flow around the displacer piston and move toward the cold side
of the engine through the regenerator, before moving to cold side of the engine, the heat
exchanger or regenerator will cool down the hot gas thus causing it to condense. Flywheel is
then turns and powering a second sealed piston known as power piston to recycle the gas back
to the hot side where the same process is repeated over and over again [6].

3. 1st Order Calculation (Schmidt Analysis)

Schmidt Analysis was first published in the year 1871 by Gustav Schmidt of German
Polytechnic institute in Prague [7]. It is one of the standard methods used in dealing with Stirling
engine design and useful during Stirling engine development [4,8]. This method basically used
to calculate the isothermal process of the Stirling engine that refers to the isothermal expansion
and compression of an ideal gas [8]. This analysis is reasonably accurate in predicting the cycle
power. However, it is not suitable in predicting the efficiency and heat transfer of a Stirling
engine [7].

3.1 Assumption made Schmidt analysis [7];

1) Working gas act as an ideal gas located inside the engine.
2) Three dead volumes are taken into account.
3) Temperatures at each gas space are constant during the cycle.
4) Sinusoidal motion occurs between the expansion and compression space (displacer and
power piston).
5) Constant speed and pressure throughout the engine.

3.2 Calculation for Schmidt Analysis [7, 8]

1) Swept Volume for Displacer, , and Power Piston,
The swept volume for the displacer and power piston can be calculated using equation
(1) and (2) respectively.

( ) (1)

( ) (2)

and in equations (1) and (2) are the diameter of piston known as bore,
respectively. For the and , it is the distance in which the piston will travel from TDC to
BDC known as stroke. Both the displacer and power piston have its own bore and stroke.

Gamma Stirling Engine for a Small Design of Renewable… (S. M. H. Wan Dawi)
352  ISSN: 2502-4752

2) Expansion space volume,

Expansion volume, is the volume located inside the expansion space. This volume
represents by the Equation (3).

(3)

The swept volume of displacer piston, can be obtained using equation (1).
3) Compression space volume,
Compression space is defined as the space between the power piston and displacer.
Thus, for the calculation of compression space volume, , it will includes the swept volume of
displacer piston, .

(4)

The swept volume for both the displacer, , and power piston, , that can be
obtained in equations (1) and (2), respectively.

4) Crank angle, , and Phase angle,

Crank angle, will be used to determine the expansion and compression volume during
different crank angle, . This crank angle, , is represented by equation (5).

(5)

As for the phase angle, , it is the angle difference between the displacer and power
piston. this phase angle, , will always be 90° which mean that the displacer and power piston
will move sinusoidal to each other.

(6)

5) Total dead volume,

The total dead volume, represent by Equation (7) is the sums of dead volume inside
the expansion and compression cylinder and the regenerator space.

(7)

6) Total space volume,

The total volume, V at certain crank angle, is determined using Equation (8).

(8)

7) Dead volume space

Equation (9) shows the mass of working gas in regards to dead space. Using equations
(10) and (11), the volume and temperature of the dead space can be determined, respectively.

* + (9)

(10)

(11)

8) Regenerator space
Regenerator temperature obtained using Equation (12).

(12)
( )

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IJEECS ISSN: 2502-4752  353

9) Total mass of working gas, m

The Equations (13) and (14) show the total mass of the working gas in regards to the
mass of the expansion, compression and regenerator space, respectively.

∑ (13)

* + (14)

Equations (15) until equation (21) are substitute into equation (14) to form a new
equation for the mass of working gas, m.

(15)

(16)

(17)

(18)

(19)

√ (20)

( ) (21)

Thus, the mass of working gas, m is given as,

[ ] (22)

10) Engine pressure,

Equation (23) for engine pressure is obtained based on Equation (22).

(23)
[ ]

By substitute the Equation (24) into equation (23), new Equation for the pressure is obtained.

(24)

(25)
[ ]

11) Mean average pressure,

(26)
√

Equation (26) represents the mean pressure, for the engine. Equation (26) is then
substituted into equation (25) to obtained equation (27) for pressure, with respect to the mean
average pressure, .

Gamma Stirling Engine for a Small Design of Renewable… (S. M. H. Wan Dawi)
354  ISSN: 2502-4752

√
(27)

12) Maximum, , and minimum engine pressure

The maximum and minimum pressure can be obtain using equation (28) and (29) with
respect to the mean average pressure, , respectively.

√
(28)
√

√
(29)
√

4. Result and Discussion

In conjunction with the comparison between the calculated parameters with the actual
parameters of Gamma Stirling engine, the ensuing step is to design a Gamma Stirling engine
based on the calculated parameters. An excel programming installed can be used for this
process to easily calculate and determine the parameters of Gamma Stirling engine at any
desired value. Prior to that, determine the initial parameters for the Gamma Stirling engine
similar to the steps taken for comparison purposes.

Table 1. Initial design parameters for Gamma Stirling model

Initial parameters Estimation value
Engine power, P 0.2 watt (0.08 watt)
Engine speed, 1200 rpm (20 Hz)
Mean average pressure, 1.013 bar (101325 Pa)
Hot space temperature, 473 K
Cold space temperature, 323 K
Working gas Air
Gas constant (based on working fluid) 286.9 J/kg.K
Fluid constant (based on working fluid) 1.402

The calculation used to determine the volume, bore and stroke for both pistons and the
efficiency of the engine is similar to the previously discussed comparison process. For this
model of Gamma Stirling engine, the bore is similar in terms of its dimension.

Table 2. Engine parameters for the piston

Piston parameters Calculated value
Displacer bore,
Displacer stroke,
Swept volume displacer,
Power piston bore,
Power piston stroke,
Swept volume power piston,

Based on the parameters obtained in Table 2, the dimension of cylinder and

piston can now be obtained by referring to Figure 1. The parameter is then tabulated in
Table 3.

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IJEECS ISSN: 2502-4752  355

Figure 1. Basic structure of Gamma Stirling engine

Table 3. Parameters for the engine’s cylinder and piston

Expansion Space Symbol Unit Value
Displacer Piston
Bore B_dp m 0.0125
Stroke S_dp m 0.0213
Length L_dp m 0.0427

Expansion Cylinder
Length L_e m 0.0640
Diameter D_e m 0.0320

Compression Space Symbol Unit Value

Power Piston
Bore B_pp m 0.0125
Stroke S_pp m 0.0142

Compression Cylinder
Length L_c m 0.0213
Diameter D_c m 0.0125

For the dead volume of this Gamma Stirling engine model, it is referring in [5-7]. The
expansion, compression and total volume of the engine are also obtained by using Equations
in [5-7].

Table 4. The expansion, compression and total volume of Gamma model

, deg , , V,
0 0
90 1.31
180 2.62
270 1.31
360

The next task is to determine the constant mass and Cv discusseb in [5-7]. The
preloaded temperature, , and pressure, , is considered to be the atmospheric value. This is
due to the Gamma Stirling engine model size that does not require a large amount of pressure
to push the working gas inside the engine. For the Cv constant of this model, it is based on the
working gas used that is the air. The value for this parameters is shown in Table 5.

Gamma Stirling Engine for a Small Design of Renewable… (S. M. H. Wan Dawi)
356  ISSN: 2502-4752

Table 5. Mass of working gas, , and

Symbol Unit Value
Preloaded Pressure p_L Pa 101325
Preloaded Temperature T_L K 293
Maximum Volume V_max m^3 1.45E-05
Gas Constant R J/kg.K 286.9

Mass of Working Gas m_g kg 1.75E-05

Symbol Unit Value
Gas Constant R J/kg.K 286.9
Working Fluid k 1.402

Cv 713.68

In order to construct the p-V diagram of the Gamma Stirling engine model, this requires
executing equations given in [5-7]. The result of this calculation is shown in Table 6.

Table 6. The volume and pressure of Gamma Stirling model at each stage
State Volume Pressure
x V(x), m^3 p(x), Pa
1 1.45E-05 1.12E+05
2 1.28E-05 1.27E+05
3 1.28E-05 1.86E+05
4 1.45E-05 1.64E+05

Lastly, the heat and work done by the Gamma Stirling engine model is obtained using
equation in [5-7]. This is based on the Stirling cycle process of a Stirling engine.

Table 7. Heat and work done by Gamma Stirling model

State 1 - 2 State 2 - 3 State 3 - 4 State 4 - 1

Heat Done, Q (J) -0.2077 1.877 0.3042 -1.877

Work Done
Symbol Unit W_net
Heat Rejection to Cold Side Q_12 J -0.2077
Heat Addition from Hot side Q_34 J 0.3042

Work Done W_net J 0.5119

4.1 Analysis of Gamma Stirling engine model

In relation with the parameters obtained for designing the Gamma Stirling engine model.
The next task is to analyze the performance of the small scale of Gamma Stirling engine model.
Before proceed to the analysis, there are several reasons to choose the small scale of Gamma
Stirling engine model instead of a large size high performance Gamma Stirling engine. One of
the reasons is because of budget limitation to fabricate a large size of Gamma Stirling engine
model. In fact, this research activity is conducted mostly to focus on searching the accurate
formulation required for designing the Gamma Stirling engine model inclusive with the operating
process involved and also to analyze the performance of this model. Finally, this small scale of

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Gamma Stirling engine model is mainly used to show and highlight the concept of Stirling
engine cycle and its capability to produce power.

Table 8. Analysis of the model using different heat source

Alcohol Lamp Butane Burner
Speed, rpm 950 1200
Voltage, V 3.5 6
Current, 11 20
Power, Watt 0.04 0.12

From the results obtained in Table 8, by applying a butane burner to the Gamma Stirling
engine, the speed and power generated by the engine is higher compared to output obtained
based on the heat source of alcohol lamp. However, the power generated from the Gamma
Stirling engine is not very satisfying due to the current produced is quite low compared to the
voltage. Hence, this will not be enough to supply power to a load that required a large current
range. In addition to that, the Gamma Stirling engine is not suitable to be linked with the small
type of DC motor that produce low amount of output current. Usually, a small size of DC motor
has the limitation in its current rating due to the small number of coil winding inside the DC
motor.

5. Conclussion
From the comparison obtained between designed formula and an actual Gamma
Stirling engine shows that it is possible for the formulation obtained from this research to be
used as preliminary design process for Gamma Stirling engine. Thus, based on the formulation
and theory that acquired over the course of this research, it can now be understand why and
how this formula was acquired and the function of it during each cycle of the Stirling engine. As
for the analysis made on the Gamma Stirling model, it shows that it is capable to produce
electrical power. However, the power produces by this model is insufficient enough to supply to
a load due to its low current output. This is mainly due to the type of DC motor used in
conjunction to the Stirling engine. This DC motor has low current rating that are not suitable for
a power production and it is only intended to show that Gamma Stirling engines are capable to
produce an electrical energy.

Acknowlegment
I would like to give my deepest respect and gratitude toward my supervisor, Associate
Professor Dr. Muhammad Murtadha Bin Othman for his continues support, guideline and
commitment in helping me completing this project.

Nomenclature
:Crank angle, deg
:Phase angle, deg
:Compression ratio or volume ratio
:Rotational velocity or angular velocity, rad/s
:Engine speed, rps or Hz
:Thermal efficiency
:Beale number
:Bore of displacer piston, m
:Bore of power piston, m
:Rotational kinetic energy, J or Watt
:Engine speed cycle frequency, Hz
:Factor F
:Moment of inertia, kg
:Specific heat ratio

Gamma Stirling Engine for a Small Design of Renewable… (S. M. H. Wan Dawi)
358  ISSN: 2502-4752

:Total mass of working gas, kg

:Mass of the flywheel, kg
:Mass of gas at compression space, kg
:Mass of gas at expansion space, kg
:Mass of gas at regenerator, kg
N :Engine speed, rpm
:Engine pressure, Pa
:Mean average pressure, Pa
:Maximum engine pressure, Pa
:Minimum engine pressure , Pa
:Preloaded pressure, Pa
:Engine performance, Watt
:Heat done by the engine, J
:Heat rejection to compression space, J
:Heat addition from regenerator, J
:Heat addition to expansion space, J
:Heat rejection from regenerator, J
:Radius of the flywheel, m
:Gas constant,
s :Reduced dead space
:Stroke of displacer piston, m
:Stroke of power piston, m
:Temperature ratio
:Compression space temperature, K
:Dead space temperature, K
:Expansion space temperature, K
:Preloaded temperature, K
:Regenerator temperature, K
:Swept volume ratio
:Total dead volume,
:Compression space volume,
:Total dead volume,
:Dead volume in compression space,
:Dead volume in expansion space,
:Expansion space volume,
:Regenerator space volume,
:Swept volume of power piston,
:Swept volume of displacer piston,
:Total work done by the engine, J
:Work done by the flywheel, J
:Dead volume ratio

Acknowledgment
The authors would like to acknowledge The Institute of Research Management &
Innovation (IRMI), UiTM, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia for financial support of this research.
This research is supported by IRMI under the LESTARI Grant Scheme with project code: 600-
IRMI/MyRA 5/3/LESTARI (0024/2016).

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and Strategies (ESD). 2010: 1-9.
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Allan J. Organ; 2001.

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[4] C. S. Vineeth. Stirling Engines: A Beginners Guide. Google Book, 2011.

[5] A. C. Bachelier. Stirling Engines A technology Overview. Research Paper. July 2009.
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Gamma Stirling Engine for a Small Design of Renewable… (S. M. H. Wan Dawi)