Optimum performance characteristics of a solar-driven Stirling heat engine system

Abstract A solar-driven Stirling heat engine system composed of a Stirling heat engine, a solar collector, and a heat sink is presented, in which the radiation and convection heat losses of the solar collector, the heat-leak between the thermal absorber and heat sink, the regenerative losses of the Stirling heat engine, and the energy balance between the thermal absorber and the high isothermal process of the Stirling heat engine are taken into consideration. Based on the irreversible thermodynamics and Lagrange multiplier method, the maximum power output and the corresponding optimal efficiency of the system are determined and the absorber temperature that maximizes the optimal system efficiency is calculated numerically. The influences of some system parameters such as the concentrating ratio, the volume ratio during the regenerative processes and irreversibilities of heat exchange processes on the optimal efficiency are analyzed in details. The results obtained here may provide a new idea to design practical solar-driven Stirling heat engine system.

[1]  Iskander Tlili,et al.  Analysis and design consideration of mean temperature differential Stirling engine for solar application , 2008 .

[2]  Arjun Sharma,et al.  Finite time thermodynamic analysis and optimization of solar-dish Stirling heat engine with regenerative losses , 2011 .

[3]  S. C. Kaushik,et al.  Finite time thermodynamic evaluation of irreversible Ericsson and Stirling heat engines , 2001 .

[4]  Chih Wu,et al.  Power optimization of an extra-terrestrial, solar-radiant stirling heat engine , 1995 .

[5]  Amir H. Mohammadi,et al.  Optimal design of a solar driven heat engine based on thermal and thermo-economic criteria , 2013 .

[6]  Soteris A. Kalogirou,et al.  Solar thermal collectors and applications , 2004 .

[7]  M. Feidt,et al.  The effect of the overall heat transfer coefficient variation on the optimal distribution of the heat transfer surface conductance or area in a Stirling engine , 1998 .

[8]  Somchai Wongwises,et al.  A review of solar-powered Stirling engines and low temperature differential Stirling engines , 2003 .

[9]  Somchai Wongwises,et al.  Optimum absorber temperature of a once-reflecting full conical concentrator of a low temperature differential Stirling engine , 2005 .

[10]  Her-Terng Yau,et al.  Performance Analysis and Optimization of a Solar Powered Stirling Engine with Heat Transfer Considerations , 2012 .

[11]  Amir H. Mohammadi,et al.  Thermo-economic multi-objective optimization of solar dish-Stirling engine by implementing evolutionary algorithm , 2013 .

[12]  Bahri Sahin,et al.  Finite size thermoeconomic optimization for irreversible heat engines , 2003 .

[13]  S. Bhattacharjee,et al.  Stirling engine based solar-thermal power plant with a thermo-chemical storage system , 2014 .

[14]  H. G. Ladas,et al.  Finite-time view of the stirling engine , 1994 .

[15]  Somchai Wongwises,et al.  Performance of a twin power piston low temperature differential Stirling engine powered by a solar simulator , 2007 .

[16]  Chao Li,et al.  Effects of environmental factors on the conversion efficiency of solar thermoelectric co-generators comprising parabola trough collectors and thermoelectric modules without evacuated tubular collector , 2014 .

[17]  Alain Ferriere,et al.  Thermal model of a dish/Stirling systems , 2009 .

[18]  Hoseyn Sayyaadi,et al.  Designing a solar powered Stirling heat engine based on multiple criteria: Maximized thermal efficiency and power , 2013 .

[19]  Lingen Chen,et al.  Optimum performance of irreversible stirling engine with imperfect regeneration , 1998 .

[20]  Reiner Buck,et al.  Dish-Stirling Systems: An Overview of Development and Status , 2003 .

[21]  Yiping Dai,et al.  Off-design performance analysis of a solar-powered organic Rankine cycle , 2014 .

[22]  Chih Wu,et al.  Power potential of a terrestrial solar-radiant Stirling heat engine , 1994 .

[23]  S. C. Kaushik,et al.  Finite time thermodynamic analysis of endoreversible Stirling heat engine with regenerative losses , 2000 .

[24]  Charles Harman,et al.  The effect of irreversibilities on solar Stirling engine cycle performance , 1999 .

[25]  Chih Wu,et al.  Power optimization of an endoreversible stirling cycle with regeneration , 1994 .

[26]  Wang Weiwei,et al.  Optimization of solar-powered Stirling heat engine with finite-time thermodynamics , 2011 .

[27]  Bihong Lin,et al.  Performance characteristics of a low concentrated photovoltaic–thermoelectric hybrid power generation device , 2014 .

[28]  D. G. Thombare,et al.  TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE STIRLING CYCLE ENGINES , 2008 .