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Ph.D. Dissertation_5_18_2015_Final.pdf (2.67 MB)
ETD Abstract Container
Abstract Header
Improving Free-Piston Stirling Engine Power Density
Author Info
Briggs, Maxwell H.
Permalink:
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1432660882
Abstract Details
Year and Degree
2015, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, EMC - Mechanical Engineering.
Abstract
Analyses and experiments demonstrate the potential benefits of optimizing piston and displacer motion in a free piston Stirling Engine. Isothermal analysis shows the theoretical limits of power density improvement due to ideal motion in ideal Stirling engines. More realistic models based on nodal analysis show that ideal piston and displacer waveforms are not optimal, often producing less power than engines that use sinusoidal piston and displacer motion. Constrained optimization using nodal analysis predicts that Stirling engine power density can be increased by as much as 58% using optimized higher harmonic piston and displacer motion. An experiment is conducted in which an engine designed for sinusoidal motion is forced to operate with both second and third harmonics, resulting in a maximum piston power increase of 14%. Analytical predictions are compared to experimental data showing close agreement with indirect thermodynamic power calculations, but poor agreement with direct electrical power measurements.
Committee
Joseph Prahl (Advisor)
Pages
143 p.
Subject Headings
Aerospace Engineering
;
Alternative Energy
;
Applied Mathematics
;
Conservation
;
Design
;
Electrical Engineering
;
Energy
;
Engineering
;
Mechanical Engineering
;
Mechanics
;
Naval Engineering
;
Nuclear Engineering
;
Technology
Keywords
Stirling, Engine, Power Density, Energy, Free-Piston, Nodal Analysis, Isothermal Analysis, Analysis, Experimental Validation,
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Citations
Briggs, M. H. (2015).
Improving Free-Piston Stirling Engine Power Density
[Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1432660882
APA Style (7th edition)
Briggs, Maxwell.
Improving Free-Piston Stirling Engine Power Density.
2015. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation.
OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center
, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1432660882.
MLA Style (8th edition)
Briggs, Maxwell. "Improving Free-Piston Stirling Engine Power Density." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1432660882
Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)
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Document number:
case1432660882
Download Count:
3,378
Copyright Info
© 2015, some rights reserved.
Improving Free-Piston Stirling Engine Power Density by Maxwell H. Briggs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.