ME 492 Project Design I

Stirling Engine Project

Team Members​: Austin Eilering

For this year's Senior Project Design, we will be inheriting last year's Alpha Stirling

Engine with the intention of improving upon the design to have a functional prototype. With that,

this will incorporate several design changes and different testing methods. From those changes,

this will provide us with a baseline as far as the validity of analysis for this design.

With further analysis of last year's engine, we noticed that it was faulty due to wrong

assumptions and modelling. Last year's design team modelled the engine as a single piston,

single cylinder engine. With the two pre-existing piston cylinders on their past design, we

believe it wasn’t appropriate for their design choice. This year we will pursue a different design

provided by a text written by James R. Senft. This text will provide us with engineering drawings

for a complete assembly on this type of air engine.

Our main objective this year is to focus less on the dynamic analysis of Stirling Engines,

but more on the potential applications it can be used in. This report will contain our iterative

process of our final design and a brief analysis on the importance of scaling these engines in

size.

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Acknowledgments

Before the start of our Senior Project Report, we would like to include a section that

acknowledges the people involved, aside from our team, that helped us on successfully getting

to the point of nearly completing our project.

Firstly, we would like to thank our project advisor, Dr. Tomas Oppenheim for always

lending us a hand on countless issues we came across during the course of our Senior Design

journey. Whether it was trying to understand how Stirling Engines worked operationally, the

various applications to explore, or even lending his assistance during the machine process. Dr.

Tom, we would like to extend our gratitude to you. Thank you for everything you did for us!

Secondly, Mr. Steffan Long was a huge contributor to this process as well. As novice

machinists, your expertise and knowledge of various machining applications helped us

immensely. Tips and tricks of the trade were always appreciated and valued from you. For

dedicating more hours then you needed to provide to all students, we want to thank you for

sacrificing your precious time and patience! Thank you for everything you did for us!

Thirdly, to the various students that sacrificed their own time to help us. Both Aldric

Terral and Nolan Van Dyne, your experience with various machining skills were greatly

appreciated. The fact that both of you willingly took time from your own senior projects to help

us was something we will always be grateful for. Thank you for everything you did for us!

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CAD 3-D Rendering of Stirling Engines

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 Table of Contents

Abstract

Chapter 1: Introduction 8

Chapter 2: Background, Literature Survey, and Benchmarking 9

Chapter 3: Design Constraints 14

Chapter 4: Conceptual Designs 17

Chapter 5: Detailed Design 21

Chapter 6: Analysis 30

Chapter 7: Results and Discussions 41

Chapter 8: Conclusion and Recommendations 45

Chapter 9: Bibliography 47

Appendices 48

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List of Figures:

Figure 3.1: Stirling Engine Process 14

Figure 3.2: Mock Generator Selection based on Performance 15

Figure 3.3: Fresnel Lens Heating Application 16

Figure 4.1: Conceptual Design for Alpha Stirling Engine Configuration 17

Figure 4.2: Conceptual Design for Beta Stirling Engine Configuration 18

Figure 4.3: Conceptual Design for Gamma Configuration 18

Figure 4.4: Weighted Decision Matrix 19

Figure 5.1 3-D Model of Alpha Configuration Stirling Engine 21

Figure 5.2: Exploded View of Alpha Stirling Engine Detailed Design 22

Figure 5.3 Bill of Materials for Alpha Stirling Engine parts (Subject to Change) 22

Figure 5.4 Bill of Materials Needed for New Connecting Pipe Assembly 25

Figure 5.5: Rendering of Ringbom Beta Engine 26

Figure 5.6: Exploded View of Ringbom Beta Engine 27

Figure 5.7: Bill of Materials for Ringbom Stirling Engine 28

Figure 6.1: Engine Variables for Various Parts 30

Figure 6.2: Relationship between Variables and Linear Acceleration 30

Figure 6.3: Plot Relationship between Angular Velocity and Temperature 31

Figure 6.4: Chosen Design Parameters and Dimensions (Last Year) 31

Figure 6.5: Reducing Mass of Pistons 32

Figure 6.6: Taking Mass out of Cold Cylinder 33

Figure 6.7: Displacer Motion and Piston Motion vs. time [1] 35

Figure 6.8: Plot Relationship between Scale Factor vs. MW Power Output 37

Figure 6.9: Power Generation Methods 38

Figure 6.10: Generator type vs. MW Power output per ft^3 38

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Figures 7.1 -7.7: Progressive Machining Photos for Ringbom Stirling Engine 41

Figures 7.1 -7.7: Progressive Machining Photos for Ringbom Stirling Engine 41

Figure 7.12: Ringbom Stirling Engine Part List and Completion Status 42

Figure 7.11: Final Progression Photo for Ringbom Stirling Engine Team 2019-2020 42

Figure 7.12: Ringbom Stirling Engine Part List and Completion Status 43

Figures A.1 - A.8 Engineering Drawings for Modified Alpha Configuration 48-51

Figures B.1- B21: Engineering Drawings for Ringbom Stirling Engine 52- 62

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Chapter 1. Introduction

For our project, we will be improving upon last year's Stirling Engine design. Last year

was successful at completing a fully designed and built Alpha configuration but had issues with

its operation. This year, our focus is to fix the issues with that design and improve upon them.

1.1 Background Research for Project

In principle, a Stirling Engine is an engine that works off the cyclic compression and

expansion of hot and cold air. These engines are effective at operating at a relatively small

temperature differential. The Alpha configuration is one of the three existing design options that

also include the Beta and Gamma types. The significance of this configuration is that the hot

and cold cylinders are offset at an angle of 90 degrees.

To heat the air within the hot cylinder, we plan to implement a heating element from a

renewable heat source. Our desired source of renewable energy will come from either a Fresnel

Dish or Fresnel Lens. Both of these methods are effective at concentrating solar radiation into a

significantly smaller point. Using this method, we plan to focus this concentrated source of

energy to the engine to achieve functionality. Once the engine is in operation, our goal would be

to run a generator with the hopes of producing 25-50W. This power will then be stored into a

battery for charging applications.

This project’s purpose is purely for research and development. Our design team is not

bound by any competitive constraints, but are dedicated to exploring the governing principles

and engineering aspects of successfully designing a Stirling Engine. Some key concepts that

will be explored will involve material properties and strengths, fundamentals of heat transfer and

dynamics, and ideal gas relations.

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Chapter 2. Background, Literature Survey, and Benchmarking

For this literature review, we are covering the functionality and construction of the Stirling

Engine. To fully understand how these engines operate, we have conducted research to better

understand these engines. Based on our research, we have chosen to focus our attention on

the Alpha configuration of the engine. We have used the research and information we gathered

to efficiently manufacture our engine.

Our first area of research covers the basics and a practical introduction to different types

of Stirling Engines. We first focused on the Ringbom configuration, which operates as a normal

Stirling engine with the absence of a displacer connecting rod and mechanical linkage. Instead,

it is driven by the change in pressure within the engine (Senft, 2000). The author is helpful in

providing the reader with different designs and dimensions. This gives future designers a means

of parametrizing their engine construction with known values. This book ties into the goal of our

project because it provides us with information regarding the functionality of these engines and

the basic theory behind them. If we do decide to change our design, we could use these

dimensions to build our own model.

Although there are only three configurations of the Stirling engine, there are many

usable drive mechanisms which allow for hundreds of combinations to be tested. One of the

articles we looked at goes over the experimentation that’s been done for the three Stirling

Engine configurations, using the rhombic drive and Ross yoke mechanisms (Egas, 2018). We

can look at the pressure ratios achieved and look at what is possible for the given temperature

range. Selecting the right configuration and drive mechanism is important to maximize efficiency

for the application we select. Many combinations have failed due to the lack of compatibility

between the drive mechanism and a given configuration.

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 It is also important to understand how the principles of Heat Transfer and

Thermodynamics correlate within the operation of a Stirling Engine. Overall, there are three

types of heat transfer and we need to know how they are calculated in different situations

(Bergman & Lavine, 2017). We can look at the different factors that affect the flow of heat

through different materials to maximize the energy from the heating element. This information is

relevant because it helps us to understand how the air inside the engine will be affected by the

heat applied to the piston cylinders.

In the book, ​An Introduction to the Synthesis and Analysis of Mechanisms and

Machines, t​ he author walks through the background of engine dynamics of an internal

combustion engine (Norton, 2001). We are using this book to acquire information on how to

calculate the dimensions of our engine. From the derived equations, we will be able to build a

code that will find a selection of possible dimensions that will work to build our Stirling Engine

based on our known values. In addition to the force equations, this book provides information on

gear trains and multi-cylinder engines which will be needed for a generator connection.

In order for a Stirling engine to work, a heat source is required. Since there are many

options for possible heat sources, we looked into using concentrated solar power. Upon

searching through different databases, we found an article on concentrated solar power. This

article helped to explain the different technologies currently used to concentrate solar power.

The article also goes ahead to compare the different concentrated solar power technologies;

past and current developments; and ways they can be enhanced.

Our Stirling Engine design team has developed an interest in fresnel lenses or dishes.

The document of interest focuses its attention more towards the solar cooking stove, but the

applications still hold true for other operational uses of fresnel dishes (Valmiki et al, 2011).

These dishes are very good because it produces efficient heating by implementing a revolving

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mechanism to track sunlight. These devices are made to be super easy to use, very safe, and

convenient. Applications of these are widely ranged and not limited to a specific purpose. This

type of device is useful to research since it will be considered as our means of heating the hot

side of our Stirling Engine.

One important consideration for our project is the practical application of our engine

design. The main applications of the Stirling engine are power generation, heating, refrigeration,

mechanical output, and propulsion. We are currently looking into utilizing our engine for energy

generation purposes. One source we looked at went over the experimental application of a

micro-cogeneration engine for residential use. The experiment tested the effect of the inlet water

temperature on the thermal and energy efficiency of the engine (Valenti et. al, 2014). We use

this information as a perspective on the effectiveness of certain applications of the Stirling

engine under given conditions. In a realistic scenario, we will most likely look into charging a

battery via a generator that is driven by our Stirling Engine.

We researched past projects that were successful to help provide us with advice and

ideas for our own design. A report prepared by ADI Thermal Power Corporation discusses how

their dual-shell Stirling Engine was able to operate at a high-temperature threshold, successfully

producing their energy output of 40kW of heat flux (Bliesner, 2009). Their integration of a

dual-shell allows for a higher performance efficiency with the secondary containment shell that

operates at temperatures of 2,100 °F. Another advantage of the dual-shell design is it offers a

significant cost benefit to the distributed power market. Their current design has been in the

testing phase since December of 2008. Even though our design will be different than the alpha

configuration, the source is important since it offers some guidelines that could be relevant to

our project.

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 Many of the projects we researched, conducted by other universities, weren’t successful.

One group of students from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute attempted to manufacture a 100

Watt Beta design Stirling engine. Prior to manufacturing, this group conducted testing and

analysis for their selected heat source and cooling source to find the proper dimensions needed

to create an engine that generates 100 Watts of power. This group referred to previous projects

conducted at this institute as a reference for some of the design aspects of this project. The

selected heating source for this project was a propane burner while cooling fins were used for

the cooling element. This project was unsuccessful because the tolerances of the

piston-cylinder weren’t precise enough so the piston was getting stuck in the cylinder when

attached with piston rings. This institute didn’t have the necessary equipment to remedy their

problem (Church, et.al). This project is a useful source because we can consider the results of

the project for our manufacturing process.

One of the most important unsuccessful projects for us to learn from is the 2019 Stirling

Engine group from the California Maritime Academy. This is because our group is tasked with

using their built engine to make a successful engine. Reading the report that this group

produced will help us determine the thought process behind the design of the engine and will

help us in troubleshooting what went wrong in the process. The report is full of useful

information, including designs that went unfinished, to consider when we dive into the redesign

and reconstruction of the same Stirling Engine Project.

With all these things to consider, specific codes and standards are important for safety,

efficiency, and compatibility issues. However, the most applicable codes for our Stirling Engine

are safety measures. These safety measures include moving machine parts and hot surfaces,

standardized in CFR codes 56.14107 and 1505.51. The information included provides the

reader with ways of avoiding or preventing means of injury. More specifically, CFR code

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56.14107 pertains to the issue of potentially moving parts. This code outlines regulations and

standards to help prevent someone from sustaining an injury. Similarly, Code 1505.51 talks

about the issue of hot surfaces. Hot surfaces could potentially harm an individual, so they take

the necessary steps to avoid it.

Overall, our research conducted focused on the familiarization of the different aspects

and concerns of the Stirling Engines. It covers the basic driving principles of operation, as well

as the different types of designs we can use. We have also included a couple of credible

sources from past university projects and code regulations that are applicable to our own

project. Based on the configurations, our plan is to focus our design on the Alpha configuration

and use renewable energy to heat the hot side cylinder.

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Chapter 3. Design Constraints

Our Stirling Engine design was bound by a few design constraints which were set by the

project design team. The constraints include: the engine needs to produce power via a

generator, must operate off a renewable heat source, and fall within the budget provided by

California State University, Maritime Academy. For renewable energy sources, we have two

effective options. These include the use of either a fresnel dish or a fresnel lens. We have

compared both of these options and have found a candidate for our specific application. The

budget we received for our project will be a fraction of the total budget provided to all senior

design teams. ​Figure 3.1 ​below shows the design constraints that we have set for this project,

as well as the overall Stirling Engine process.

Figure 3.1: Stirling Engine Process

For our generator constraint, we need to consider our goal for power generation.

Depending on the power output of the Stirling Engine, we could fit an appropriate generator that

is shaft driven or belt-driven. Another consideration is to measure the torque output and the

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angular velocity of the engine as well to size accordingly. Our goal would be to produce 25-50

watts of power.

Figure 3.2: Mock Generator Selection based on Performance

Another constraint is our method of heating the hot cylinder on our Stirling Engine. Last

year’s design team wasn’t able to implement a renewable heat source. The fresnel dish, as

previously mentioned before, will be our likely candidate. We believe this will be able to

generate enough heat within the cylinder to expand the air for engine operation.

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 Figure 3.3: Fresnel Lens Heating Application

Lastly, our budget will also be dictating the direction of this project. Our budget will be

determined by the university and will be split evenly amongst each Senior Design team. With

that in mind, our team must be wary and responsible for the usage of our funds.

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Chapter 4: Conceptual Design

4.1 Conceptual Design #1 - Alpha

The Alpha design of the Stirling engine is unique because it utilizes two pistons in

separate cylinders. These cylinders are connected by a connecting pipe, with the option of

including a regenerator. This design is ideally the simplest design but has issues with sealing

the working gas in both cylinders and has a significant amount of dead space which reduces

efficiency.

Figure 4.1: Conceptual Design for Alpha Stirling Engine Configuration

4.2 Conceptual Design #2 - Beta

The Beta design of the Stirling engine uses a piston and displacer piston in a single

in-line cylinder. This is the original Stirling engine design created by Robert Stirling in 1816.

Even though this style only has one cylinder, it is actually more complicated because of the

construction of the displacer piston. Since there is not a connecting pipe in this style there is

very minimal dead space and it is more efficient.

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 Figure 4.2: Conceptual Design for Beta Stirling Engine Configuration

4.3 Conceptual Design #3 - Gamma

The Gamma design of the Stirling engine also uses a piston and displacer piston in

separate cylinders which makes it simpler to build. The displacer piston makes it so that the air

can flow freely between the two cylinders.

Figure 4.3: Conceptual Design for Gamma Configuration

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4.4 Weighted Decision Matrix

Figure 4.4: Weighted Decision Matrix

For our Weighted Decision Matrix, we made specific categories that would pertain to the

construction and viability of our Stirling Engine. For our three conceptual designs, we decided

between the 3 types of Stirling Engines: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. From those, we set up 4

distinct categories that include Design Complexity, Material Cost, Efficiency, and Operation. Our

scoring scale is on a 0-5 range, but for each criterion, they hold a different meaning. Starting

with our Design complexity, our research has told us that the Beta design has a lot more

variables and potential problems to consider when you have a single cylinder being shared by

two pistons. For material cost, the Alpha design will most likely require more material based on

the larger construction. Gamma and Beta Stirling engines are more effective at keeping their

design more concise. In terms of efficiency, the Alpha contains more dead space between the

hot and cold cylinders. This could mean a substantial loss of heat when air is traveling across

the connecting pipe. Beta and Gamma are able to transfer their heat in a more compact

environment. Lastly, the operation of all three Stirling Engines are the same in principle, just

have different methods of producing it.

From this, we added up the points from each category and found that the Gamma and

Alpha configurations were the best candidates. Our team chose to work on the Alpha design

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since we are currently improving upon last year's design. In the event of problems or issues with

last year’s design, we decided to work with the Gamma Configuration.

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Chapter 5: Detailed Design

Design Iteration 1 - Alpha Configuration

For our first phase of the detailed design, we modeled last year's Alpha Stirling Engine

Design in Solidworks. For this design, we focused our efforts on getting it to be functional. Once

this engine is functional, we can then focus our attention on the applications. To achieve

functionality, we have already re-machined existing parts to be lighter and more effective at

transferring heat.

Before discussing the modifications we made to the existing parts, let’s focus on the

design of the Alpha Stirling Engine. The Alpha Stirling Engine contains two cylinders that are

offset by 90 degrees. These two complementary cylinders will be the source of our hot and cold

temperature differential. These cylinders share the same control volume via a connecting pipe

which transfers air to the opposite cylinder. As the engine runs, the compression and expansion

of hot and cold gases cause the pistons to reciprocate in motion.

Below, in ​Figure 5.1​ is the complete rendered design for the Alpha Stirling Engine.

Figure 5.1 3-D Model of Alpha Configuration Stirling Engine

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5.2a - Exploded View of Detailed Design plus Bill of Materials

Figure 5.2: Exploded View of Alpha Stirling Engine Detailed Design

Figure 5.3 Bill of Materials for Alpha Stirling Engine parts (Subject to Change)

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5.2b Design Components Descriptions

Redesigned Parts

To make the engine functional, we reduced the mass of many of the moving parts in

order to reduce the inertia. Collectively, we decided to work on the following parts that contained

a substantial amount of unnecessary mass: Cold Cylinder, Cold Piston Head, Hot Piston Head,

and Connecting Rods. For the Cold Cylinder, we focused on creating more cooling fins for more

effective heat transfer to keep the cylinder relatively cooler than the rest of the engine. We made

the Connecting Rods significantly lighter by milling out material from the top and bottom surface.

For the Piston Heads, the material was bored out from its inner diameter. The wall thickness

was significantly reduced to allow better transfer of heat in or out. It was also necessary to

re-machine piston pins to sit properly with the new piston wall thickness. Before making all

these adjustments, we carefully considered the amount of material to take off to prevent the

structural failure. All these actions were performed by utilizing the lathe and mill machines.

Fresnel Lens

Rather than relying on a blow torch as our main heat source, we will implement a

renewable heating method. We have chosen to use solar heating that will be concentrated via a

Fresnel Lens. The Fresnel Lens will be held in a frame and custom-built stand to allow us to

adjust the lens to our desired angle. The stand should be able to hold the frame in place at our

desired angle so that the heat on the hot cylinder is maintained.

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Connecting pipe

To improve the efficiency of our engine, we plan to incorporate a regenerator in the

connecting pipe. The regenerator acts as a heat exchanger and will store heat from one engine

cycle to be used for the next engine cycle. This is done by absorbing heat from the air going into

the cold cylinder and preheating the air going back to the hot cylinder. This will create a greater

temperature differential and make it easier for the gas to pass between cylinders. Possible

forms of this regenerator could simply be the inclusion of a mesh material effective at trapping

heat. Methods will be explored and researched further.

Flywheel

We will reduce the mass of last year’s Stirling Engine team’s flywheel to increase the

engine efficiency. The moment of inertia of a flywheel with more mass away from the center is

greater than our current design. If a flywheel has a larger moment of inertia, its angular

momentum will be greater and will help maintain an equal energy distribution on the shaft. This

will make it easier for the pistons to move in the cylinder and move the working gas.

Generator

Our end goal is to be able to hook up a generator to our engine and be able to power or

charge something. The generator will either be belt-driven or driven by the crankshaft. We will

measure the torque output and angular velocity of the engine during our testing phase to select

an appropriate generator. Ideally, we want to output a power range of 25-50 watts.

5.2c New Connecting Pipe Assembly

For our testing purposes, we conducted a test with the original ½ ” copper tubing for the

connecting pipe. After a failed attempt, we have chosen to reduce the connecting pipe diameter

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to 5/16” to reduce the amount of control volume between the two cylinders. We as well reduced

the overall length of the cylinders to reduce the volume as well. This should effectively cause a

spike in pressure when the hot cylinder is heated up again. A test will be conducted following

these new modifications.

Figure 5.4 Bill of Materials Needed for New Connecting Pipe Assembly

5.2d Detailed Engineering Drawings for Redesigned Parts

Appendix A​ will include all engineering drawings for the redesigned Stirling Engine parts

mentioned in​ Section 5.2b​. The original parts and their corresponding engineering drawings will

be included for comparison.

Design Iteration 2 - Ringbom Stirling Engine

After we attempted to redesign our original Alpha configuration, it became clear that as

changes were made that it would be more troublesome to figure out how to get it to run. As a

team, we decided to move forward with a new design. The new design is a Ringbom Stirling

Engine.

A Ringbom Stirling Engine works the same in principle as the other configurations but

closely embodies the characteristics of a beta engine. This Stirling engine contains one cylinder

that houses both the hot piston and the displacer. The cold piston will be driven on a crankshaft

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by the cyclic compression of the hot and cold gases, whereas the displacer will be able to move

freely by the same forces. Below, in ​Figure 5​.​5 ​and ​Figure 5.6​ is a rendering and an exploded

view of our newly designed Stirling Engine. ​Figure 5.7​ is the Bill of Materials that includes every

component of this design.

Figure 5.5: Rendering of Ringbom Beta Engine

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Figure 5.6: Exploded View of Ringbom Beta Engine

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Figure 5.7: Bill of Materials for Ringbom Stirling Engine

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5.2e Design Components for Ringbom Beta Engine

We will be using a text by James R. Senft that provides us with a pre-dimensioned

components list for this design. We will use the theory provided to understand the relationship

between power output and speed. For future iterations of this project, a method of scaling the

size up or down will be provided. More on this will be covered in the Analysis section.

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Chapter 6: Analysis

In this section, we will be covering our testing and the analytical study of Stirling

Engines.

6.1 Alpha Configuration Engine Sizing Code

The alpha Stirling Engine design is a legacy project from last year's team. Based on our

initial weighted decision matrix we decided to attempt to find a solution to all the engine’s faults.

Before changing anything, we acquired last year’s Stirling Engine sizing code and tried to

identify any faulty analysis that could have occured.

The assumption made by last year’s team was based on an analysis of a single piston

and single cylinder configuration, which they used to model the governing dynamics of their

engine. As seen in ​Figures 6.1 / 6.2​ below, we can see the relationship between the crank web

length ( ​r ​), the connecting rod length (​l​), and the piston head diameter (​D)​ .

Figure 6.1: Engine Variables for Various Parts

Figure 6.2: Relationship between Variables and Linear Acceleration

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 We related these parameters based on the engine's linear acceleration, denoted as ​X’’​.

The importance of this equation is that we can then relate the angular velocity (​ω) ​and linear

acceleration. For example as you increase the linear acceleration of this engine, you will

effectively increase the speed of the angular velocity. ​Figure 6.3​ shows the relationship

between the angular velocity and the temperature of both the hot and cold sides.

Figure 6.3: Plot Relationship between Angular Velocity and Temperature

Figure 6.4: Chosen Design Parameters and Dimensions (Last Year)

After producing this plot, last year's team chose the following dimensions for the various

parts of their engine design. It is important to note that this design is based on one piston and

one cylinder. We believe that this type of analysis was too general to describe an Alpha Stirling

Engine, which housed two pistons and two cylinders.

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6.2 Alpha Configuration Testing

We tried to troubleshoot the issues that prevented last year’s alpha configuration design

from running. Before redesigning parts, we ran the engine by replicating the same testing

procedure from last year. We heated the Stirling Engine with a Butane blowtorch on the hot end

and packed the cold end with ice. In principle, we assumed that creating a substantial

temperature difference would allow the engine to turn over. That wasn't the case, so we looked

further into the actual components of the existing model.

Figure 6.5: Reducing Mass of Pistons

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 Figure 6.6: Taking Mass out of Cold Cylinder

Our next testing phase was to see if the mass of the aluminum parts were too much to

actually produce any angular motion or momentum. As seen in ​Figure 6.4​, we tried to reduce

the mass as much as possible without jeopardizing the structural integrity of the parts. We

turned down the cold cylinder in ​Figure 6.5​ to induce more heat dissipation to the air. With all

parts machined down to be thinner and substantially lighter, we assembled the engine back

together. Now that we eliminated the possibility of the parts being too heavy, we changed the

testing parameters to test other possible problems. For the hot end heating application, we used

a massive flame burner to engulf the entirety of the hot end. This would ensure that the cylinder

was receiving more than enough heat. For the cold end, in addition to machining, we added

more ice packs around the cold cylinder. This was not successful after retesting.

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 As we tested again, we noticed that the control volume of air that was being transferred

back and forth wasn’t the same. With the cold piston being smaller than the hot, there was no

way that the cold end could supply the same amount of air to the other side.We also noticed

that there was a sudden loss of pressure as the crankshaft turned. In order to fix this, we

concluded that there would have to be a complete redesign of either of the pistons to have the

ratio be closer to 1:1. This would ensure that the same volume of air would be shared between

the two cylinders.

With this in mind, we decided to go forward with the Ringbom Stirling Engine as seen in

Figure 5.13​. This configuration closely models the Beta Engine seen in ​Figure 4.2​. A fresh

perspective and start was also beneficial to learn more about these engines.

6.3 Ringbom Beta Engine Analysis

With the Ringbom Beta Engine, it is essentially the Beta Stirling Engine configuration.

The Beta design, as discussed in ​Section 4.2​ consists of a piston and displacer within a shared

cylinder. In this case, there is no mechanism to pull up on the displacer. For this specific design,

the displacer motion will be influenced by the compression and expansion of the air surrounding

it. It’s motion, however, will be limited by the guide tracks on the outside of the assembly.

6.3a Cyclic Relationship between Displacer and Piston

For the Ringbom configuration, it is essential to understand the operational relationship

of the displacer versus the piston.

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 Figure 6.7: Displacer Motion and Piston Motion vs. time [1]

Looking at ​Figure 6.1​, ​Xp​ is the sinusoidal motion of the piston over time, while ​Xd​ is the

motion of the displacer over time. The displacer starts at the top of the range of displacer

motion. This is denoted as​ L​.​ ​Within the range of​ t0​ and ​t1​ is when the displacer moves towards

the bottom of its range of motion as the piston moves. This is denoted as motion ​-L​. ​t1​ is when

the displacer reaches the bottom of its range of motion. From here the displacer motion halts

until ​t2​ when the displacer starts moving toward the top of its range of motion again. This graph

provides a visual of what cycle each of the components are experiencing. At some point, the

displacer experiences a halt motion when it reaches the bottom of the displacer shell. From

here, the heated air surrounding the displacer will cause it to rise and expand, inducing motion.

When the motion of the piston is downwards, the displacer will make contact with the piston and

ride its way back down again. The cyclic offset between the two is roughly 60 degrees apart

from each other.

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6.3b Scaling and Power Analysis

For this specific Ringbom Stirling Engine, we have chosen to go forward with a

predetermined design. This chosen configuration is affected solely on how scaling up or down

the current model will affect its output of power per unit volume. The power for this Ringbom

Stirling Engine is defined below in ​Equation 6.1​.

By keeping a force (​F​) inside the common cylinder, a constant frequency (​ƒ​), a constant

max cycle pressure (​P​m​), and a known hot (​T​H​) and cold temperature (​T​C​), we can change the

volume (​V​O​) to size up or size down the engine. This should effectively cause an increase in

power output. This can be seen in ​Figure 6.2​. Assuming our current design is rated for 20W

output at 1 for the scale, we can project that a factor of 100 could produce a substantial power

output.

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 Figure 6.8: Plot Relationship between Scale Factor vs. MW Power Output

In ​Table 6.1​ below, we listed power generation methods, their power output, and their

footprint size. Using these values we achieved the average amount of power output in

Watts/ft^3. ​Figure 6.3​ shows this same data in a bar graph for better comprehension. The take

away from the table and graph is to show that using the scaling equation, our Ringbom Stirling

engine would be able to make around 20 Watts with its respective volumetric footprint, which is

869 watts/ ft^3.We compared this with other real world applications, such as the following: Small

Gas Generator, Commercial Generator, Ship Generator, and Wind Turbines. Looking at all of

these applications, we can see how well our engine can do by increasing the size. .

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 Figure 6.9: Power Generation Methods

Figure 6.10: Generator type vs. MW Power output per ft^3

6.4 Risk Assessment

Due to the school closure we were unable to complete our engine and conduct testing

on the finished design.

6.4.1 Strengths:

Since Stirling Engines can utilize renewable heating the operation costs of fuel are

reduced. We were intending to utilize a fresnel lens as our renewable heating source and air as

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the working gas which would allow our engine to produce zero emissions. The absence of

combustion in the engine will also reduce maintenance requirements. The simplicity of this

design allows them to be made out of simpler materials in home projects.

The Ringbom Stirling Engine doesn’t use a connecting pipe; there is very minimal dead

space and it is more efficient than other Stirling Engines. The design we used came from a

published theoretical design, which eliminated the need to conduct our own calculations to size

the design. The purpose for utilizing a theoretical design allowed us to create our engine as a

proof of concept to allow other groups to conduct further research. This design also included a

scaling equation which would have helped us to upscale the size and output of the design.

6.4.2 Weaknesses:

Stirling Engines require a specific ratio between the hot and cold pistons for alpha

designs, which we predicted was one of the reasons why last year’s Stirling Engine didn’t work.

The improper sizing between the two cylinders caused an insufficient amount of air to pass

between the two cylinders. The engine also requires a higher temperature differential between

hot and cold side for higher efficiency.

Our Stirling Engine was reliant on solar heating, which is dependent on weather

conditions, location, and time of day to maintain a sufficient supply of solar irradiance.

6.4.3 Opportunities:

Since our Stirling Engine only requires a heating method it can utilize waste heat from

industrial processes, can be used for many different applications, and can be installed

anywhere. Some forms of Stirling Engine are simpler than combustion engines which allows

crude designs to be manufactured from household materials.

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6.4.5 Threats:

Although the Stirling Engine has high potential as a renewable energy generation it must

compete with other technologies with more results and research such as solar, wind, or hydro

power.

6.5 Global Learning

As stated previously the Stirling Engine has a wide variety of uses ranging from power

generation, heating, refrigeration, mechanical output, and propulsion. Compared to internal

combustion engines Stirling Engines have the potential to harness renewable energy sources

more easily, to have a lower noise footprint, and to have a high reliability with a low

maintenance requirement. The advantages of the Stirling Engine over the internal combustion

engine allows them to improve efficiency in the fields that they are used. Stirling Engines will not

have a large impact on the environment as it can rely solely on renewable heat sources. This

reduces fuel costs and emissions to run the engine. The costs of producing the engine consist

of manufacturing costs and materials,which are dependent on the size and type of Stirling

Engine produced. The cost of operation for the engine is dependent on the heating method

utilized. For our design in particular it was theoretically cost efficient for the amount of power it

was expected to produce.

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Chapter 7: Results and Discussion

7.1 Project Progression Photos for Design Team 2019-2020

Figures 7.1 -7.7: Progressive Machining Photos for Ringbom Stirling Engine

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Figures 7.8 - 7.10: More Progressive Machining Photos for Ringbom Stirling Engine

Figure 7.11: Final Progression Photo

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7.2 Project Progression Discussion

For this year's Stirling Engine Design team, we were unfortunately halted from further

progress due to the closure of school. Up to the point of closure, we were able to make

significant progress that would’ve put us close to completion if allotted more time.

Looking at ​Figures 7.1 - 7.11​, you can see the progressive stages of construction for the

Ringbom Stirling Engine. With our group size of 3 members, we were able to break up the

machining tasks in an efficient and effective manner. Over the course of a year and a half of

project skill development, our skills for utilizing machines such as the CNC, Lathe machine, and

Mill machine provided us the tools necessary for the construction of all components. Looking at

Table 7.12,​ we have broken down a list of finished and unfinished components and the

following machining applications we used to make them.

Figure 7.12: Ringbom Stirling Engine Part List and Completion Status

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 Looking at the highlighted parts in ​Table 7.12​, finishing touches were only needed for

the following. For the connecting rod, the two ends required ball bearings to be press fitted

inside the inner diameters. The crankshaft was near completion, but a remedy for assembling

the smaller components was an issue that needed resolution. Our decision was to utilize slotted

spring pins to assemble the separate parts. For the displacer bushing nut, we were halted by an

order that included a die set to thread the outside of the part. After that, we needed only to part

off the component and install. For the displacer end, a tap was ordered and wasn’t shipped in

time for us to put a thread the inner diameter. Finally for the displacer rod cap, one end of the

component required closure and we were stuck trying to find an effective solution.

Aside from the minor finishing touches, we were successfully able to recreate most of

our proposed design for the Ringbom Stirling Engine.

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Chapter 8: Conclusion and Recommendations

We started out this project by inheriting the legacy Stirling Engine Project from the

2018-2019 school year. After creating our Initial Weighted Decision Matrix, we decided to

continue with the previous Alpha Stirling Engine Design and were determined to see it

successfully operate. We had initially reconfigured their design by machining new parts to

hopefully get it operational. After spending a lot of time troubleshooting, we came to the

conclusion that all the changes we hoped to make would not necessarily be worth the time

investment. Instead, we acquired drawings from texts we have read and decided to put our

effort into building a design that we knew would work.

8.1 Ringbom Stirling Engine Future Team Recommendations

For our future Stirling Engine Design teams, we hope that you plan to continue this

awesome project and find ways to optimize our design! We are confident that this could be an

effective source of renewable energy that could have limitless applications.

If you choose to take on our Ringbom Stirling Engine, ​Section 7.2​ includes all the

finishing touches that need to be made in order to finish the construction of our design. We

recommend that you also build your machining skills before taking over the project as it does

require ample knowledge of various machining processes. We hope that you can then take our

Ringbom Stirling Engine and explore concepts such as renewable heating methods, such as a

Fresnel lens. Before our project was unexpectedly halted, we had just acquired one and briefly

explored its capabilities. Possibly incorporating a mount for the lens to provide adequate solar

irradiance could be looked at. If this design operationally works, power generation and storage

can be explored as well. Incorporating a generator and a battery system could be useful in

applications like charging a phone.

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 Overall, we hope to see you guys explore further into the concept of Ringbom Stirling

Engines. If not, we want to wish you all luck on your own iteration of the Stirling Engine design!

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Chapter 9: Bibliography

[1]J. R. Senft, Ringbom Stirling Engines. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.​

[2] J. R. Senft, Miniature Ringbom Engines. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.

[3] R. L. Norton, Design of machinery: an introduction to the synthesis and analysis of

[4] A. Link, S. McPherson , J. Murray, and S. Wettstein , ME 494 Project Design II - Stirling
Engine . California Maritime Academy Library (CSU), 2018.

[5] Bergman, T. L., & Lavine, A. S. (2017). ​Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer.​ Hoboken,
NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

[6] Bliesner, W. (2009). ​Proof of Concept and Test Validation of a 25 Kilowatt Dual Shell Stirling
Engine.​ ​Proof of Concept and Test Validation of a 25 Kilowatt Dual Shell Stirling Engine.
Woodinville, WA: ADI Thermal Power Corp.

[7] Church, A., Greenbaum, B., & Stirling, C. (n.d.). ​Stirling Engine Fabrication and Design.​
Stirling Engine Fabrication and Design.​ Retrieved from
https://web.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-042816-151447/unrestricted/StirlingEngi
neFinalReport.JMS1601.pdf

[8] Egas, J. M., & Clucas, D. (2018). Stirling engine configuration selection. ​Energies,11(​ 3),.

[9] Norton, R. L. (2001). ​Design of Machinery: An Introduction to the Synthesis and Analysis of
Mechanisms and Machines​. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

[10] Shah et. al, A. (1999). Photovoltaic Technology: The Case for Thin-Film Solar Cells.
285​(5428), 692-698. Retrieved from https://science.sciencemag.org/content/285/5428/​692.

[11] Valenti, Silva, Fergnani, Di Marcoberardino, Campanari, & Macchi. (2014). Experimental
and Numerical Study of a Micro-cogeneration Stirling Engine for Residential Applications.
Energy Procedia, 45, 1235-1244.

[12] Valmiki et. al., M. M. (2011). ​A novel application of a Fresnel lens for a solar stove and solar
heating​ (5th ed., Vol. 36). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2010.10.017

[13] Zhang et. al, H. L. (2013). Concentrated solar power plants: Review and design
methodology. ​22,​ 466-481. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032113000634

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Chapter 10. Appendices

Appendix A. Engineering Drawings for Alpha Stirling Engine Redesign

A.1: Engineering Drawing for Original Cold Cylinder

A.2: Engineering Drawing for Modified Cold Cylinder

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A.3: Engineering Drawing for Original Cold Piston Head

A.4: Engineering Drawing for Modified Cold Piston Head

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A.5: Engineering Drawing for Original Hot Piston Head

A.6: Engineering Drawing for Modified Hot Piston Head

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A.7: Engineering Drawing for Original Connecting Rod

A.8: Engineering Drawing for Modified Connecting Rod

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Appendix B. Engineering Drawings for Ringbom Stirling Engine

Figure B.1: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Bearing Block

Figure B.2: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Bearing Ring

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Figure B.3: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Bearing Pillars

Figure B.4: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Cold End

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Figure B.5: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Connecting Rod

Figure B.6: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Crankshaft

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Figure B.7: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Cylinder

Figure B.8: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Displacer Bushing Nut

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Figure B.9: Engineering Drawing for Graphite Displacer Rod Bushing

Figure B.10: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Displacer Rod

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Figure B.11: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Displacer Shell

Figure B.12: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Displacer End

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Figure B.13: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Displacer Rod Cap

Figure B.14: Engineering Drawing for Steel Hot End Assembly

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Figure B.15: Engineering Drawing for Graphite Piston

Figure B.16: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Piston Yoke Nut

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Figure B.17: Engineering Drawing for Silicon Rubber Gaskets

Figure B.18: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Flywheel

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Figure B.19: Engineering Drawing for Steel Top Plate for Ringbom Engine Stand

Figure B.20: Engineering Drawing for Steel Bottom Plate for Ringbom Engine Stand

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Figure B.21: Engineering Drawing for Aluminum Pillars for Ringbom Engine Stand

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