Model of TPTC Stirling Engine With Adiabatic Working Spaces

A Stirling engine incorporating a phase-changing component of the working fluid has been modeled with the assumption that the compression and expansion space are adiabatic, and that the heat exchanger consists of a cooler, regenerator, and heater of finite size where the fluid follows an idealized temperature profile. Differential equations for the rate of change of mass in any cell and pressure over the entire engine were derived from the energy, continuity, state equations, and Dalton’s law. From the simultaneous solution of these equations, all of the information necessary for calculation of power output and efficiency were obtained. Comparison of the results from this model with previous studies shows that the advantage of adding a phase-changing component to the working fluid may have been overstated.