Test results and facility description for a 40-kilowatt stirling engine

NASA Lewis Research Center is conducting tests with a 40-kilowatt, P40 Stirling engine manufactured by United Stirling of Malmoe, Sweden, This experimental research is part of a project whose overall goal is to demonstrate by September 1984 the potential advantages this alternative engine offers for powering highway vehicles. The P40 was designed by United Stirling to be a reliable workhorse engine for testing and developing specific components (e.g., the heater head, piston rod seals, and piston rings). Because it was intended as a rugged experimental engine, the P40 is too heavy to be a practical automotive Stirling engine. Nevertheless, it was selected as the project's baseline engine because it was an available, convenient starting point from which to derive Stirling engine operating experience. Consequently, while the MOD I automotive Stirling engine is being designed and built for the project, several P40 engines are being evaluated in test cells and in vehicles by organizations involved in the development effort. NASA P40 tests are being conducted to establish the engine's baseline performance and emissions characteristics for comparison with other engines, to provide data for validating computer models, to identify problem areas which must be addressed in future Stirling engine designs, and tomore » evaluate the performance of advanced systems or components installed in the engine. The NASA P40 engine testing activity which began in April 1979 is emphasized. Included is a description of the P40 engine along with its control systems and auxiliaries. Also described are the engine test support facilities, instrumentation, data acquisition systems, and experimental procedures. Finally, engine operating experience is discussed, and some initial test results are presented.« less