Stirling engines - the state of technology development and computational models

Abstract

Stirling engines represent a technologically important solution in combined heat and power systems. Their use enables the achievement of over 90 percent efficiency in the management of the primary energy source with a very high durability of the device, mainly due to the lack of contact of the working gas with external factors and a very small number of mechanical components. The use of a Stirling engine may be equally important when applying renewable energy sources or waste heat from other processes. The first part of the work presents an overview of available commercial Stirling engine solutions. The second part of the work presents an overview of numerical models of Stirling engine operation, which enable the correct selection of the main geometrical features of the devices and the improvement of the structure in order to maximize efficiency or power.