Thermodynamic Analysis of the Stirling Cycle Machine—A Review of the Literature

Abstract

There is no agreed approach to the analysis of the practical Stirling cycle. Consequently there is no method of any generality for thermodynamic design and no established yardstick for assessing candidate design methods. The author therefore presents a vision of Stirling cycle analysis as it might be. Salient contributions to the literature are reviewed with this as background. The prospects are discussed for use of theoretical analysis in the optimization of thermodynamic performance.