Alpha Stirling Engine - SUNNYTECH SC005

Course: THERMODYNAMICS II

Jonatan Cano González

Santiago Gómez Jiménez
Sebastián Bedoya Atehortúa
Tatiana Serna Tavera
University of Antioquia, Faculty of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Program

Abstract.

In this article, we aim to elucidate the design and development process of an Alpha Stirling engine
prototype by a group of engineering students from the University of Antioquia. Additionally, we seek
to highlight the setbacks and challenges encountered during its manufacturing process, serving as a
future guide for projects aiming to create similar prototypes.

Keywords:
engineering, Stirling engine, alpha, prototype, design, manufacturing, thermodynamics, 3d printing.

Introduction
The Stirling engine is a thermal engine that operates based on a thermodynamic cycle of gas
compression and expansion called the Stirling cycle. Unlike conventional internal combustion engines,
it utilizes the heating and cooling of a fluid, typically air, to convert thermal energy into mechanical
energy. The importance of the Stirling engine lies in its energy efficiency, its ability to utilize various
heat sources, and its low environmental impact, not to mention that they are considerably silent engines.
Currently, Stirling engines are in a state of ongoing exploration and advancement due to the
aforementioned advantages. As technological advancements are made, it is expected that these engines
will play an increasingly important role in the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable energy
sources. Therefore, it is crucial to engage in practical involvement in their manufacturing to fully
understand their operation. As engineering students, the best way to acquire the necessary knowledge
is by fabricating a functional prototype that faithfully represents its operation. During this process,
several problems and challenges will need to be resolved, which will undoubtedly enrich understanding
of the subject.

Some potential alternative fluids for the that there aren't other fluids that could be more
Alpha Stirling engine: promising in this model. Due to their thermal
properties and ability to maximize the
As mentioned before, the Stirling engine
efficiency of the Stirling cycle, the following
typically uses air in its compression and
fluids can be highlighted:
expansion cycle. However, this doesn't mean

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 • Hydrogen: It has higher thermal 5. Heat Source: This part provides the
conductivity and can reach high necessary heat for the system,
temperatures, indicating that it could specifically to the hot cylinder as
heat up more quickly than conventional mentioned before.
air. Additionally, its lower density 6. Heat Sink: This component is
implies less friction losses and higher responsible for dissipating heat from
engine efficiency. the cold cylinder. Its work is to ensure
• Helium: It can be an interesting fluid to a lower temperature in the cold
use due to its viscosity and its ability to cylinder, compared with the hot
operate at extremely low temperatures, cylinder. This allows the engine to
enabling the Stirling engine to function operate based on the temperature
in ambient conditions where it couldn't gradient.
operate with air. 7. Crankshaft: The crankshaft takes the
• Ammonia: It has a high heat transfer linear motion from the power piston
capacity and is commonly used in and converts it into rotational motion.
refrigeration systems. Although it may It can transfer the mechanical work
not be considered a primary option, it is generated by the engine to an external
important to consider it and make the load or device.
appropriate choice based on the 8. Flywheel: The flywheel is a heavy
application and operating conditions. rotating disk connected to the
crankshaft. It provides rotational
inertia and helps to smooth out the
engine’s rotational motion, which
ensures a more consistent and
Design & construction continuous power input.
The main parts of an alpha-type Stirling engine
are the following:
1. Hot Cylinder: it is heated from an
external source, such as a burner or
solar energy. It contains the expansion
space where the working fluid expands
and gains thermal energy.
2. Cold Cylinder: This part is cooled
externally, usually by a heat sink or
cooling fluid such as water. In contrast
with the hot cylinder, this one contains
the compression space where the
working gas is compressed and releases Figure 1 Parts of the alpha-type Stirling engine.
thermal energy.
3. Displacer: with a piston-like shape, the
displacer is the component that moves The dimensions for the design and construction
the working gas in the cold cylinder. It were taken from an existing model presented in
is usually driven by a mechanical class by the teacher using a vernier and from a
linkage (crank). commercial model.
4. Power Piston: its purpose is to convert
the pressure changes of the working
gas into mechanical work. It is linked
to a crankshaft or other mechanism,
converting the linear motion into
rotational motion.

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 Figure 2 Commercial model of the prototype
Figure 4 CNC machining at the laboratory.
This image was taken from: https://www.amazon.com/-
/es/Sunnytech-caliente-Stirling-educaci%C3%B3n-
electricidad/dp/B00LWXLERM In the original designs, the cold and hot
cylinders were made of stainless steel.
However, in this design, it was decided to
Subsequently, CAD models were created in purchase them in glass as they allow for the
Autodesk Inventor for each component, visualization of piston movement and work
allowing the creation of blueprints for well in the system.
subsequent manufacturing.
Since the piston is a critical component for the
system's operation and there was not enough
time for its fabrication in the CNC laboratory,
it was decided to purchase it.

Figure 3 CAD designs in Autodesk Inventor. Figure 5 Purchased piston.

The selected material was aluminum, as it is The support was 3D printed using ABS as the
affordable and easy to work with using CNC raw material. Due to an air leakage issue with
machines. the first prototype, it was necessary to
manufacture a second prototype with a better fit
Both the flywheels and cranks, along with their and add rubber gaskets to prevent further leaks.
shafts and the base of the cold cylinder, were
manufactured using CNC machining.

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 Figure 6 3D-Printed base.

As some drill bits in the laboratory were worn

out and not all the necessary measurements
were available, it was decided to purchase
specific drill bits for each hole to achieve the
highest possible precision with respect to the Figure 8 Base and final model of the prototype.

design.

A small glass container was selected as the heat Ideal thermodynamic cycle
source and was also purchased to contain the
In the study of ideal power cycles, it is
fuel. Initially, 70% alcohol was used as the fuel,
necessary to consider certain idealizations and
but optimal performance was not achieved as
simplifications such as:
the engine took a long time to start and was
slow. Therefore, it was ultimately decided to 1. The cycle does not involve any friction.
use 96% alcohol, which provided the best 2. Expansion and compression processes
results. This alcohol was burned using a wick take place in a quasi-equilibrium
as the burner. manner.
3. Heat transfer through pipes is
negligible.

Stirling cycle
This cycle operates between a heat source at 𝑇𝐻
and a sink at 𝑇𝐿 , and both the heat-addition and
heat-rejection processes during the cycle must
take place isothermally. This process differs
from the Carnot cycle in that the two isentropic
processes are replaced by two constant-volume
regeneration processes [1].
Figure 7 Glass container used with 96% alcohol.

The base was constructed from wood, and the

space where the heat source is located was
adapted accordingly.

Figure 9 Diagram T-s and P-v for Stirling cycle [1]

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Figure 9 shows the T-s and P-v diagrams of the Stroke 2 – Transfer: The momentum of the
Stirling cycle, which is made up of four totally flywheel carries the engine through the next 90
reversible processes: degrees, this causes most of the air to be
tranferred over to the cold cylinder.
1-2 Process: T = constant expansion (heat
addition from the external source) Stroke 3 – Contraction: The majority of the
expanded gas has shifted over to the cold
2-3 Process: v = constant regeneration (internal
cylinder, it cools and contracts which displace
heat transfer from the working fluid to the
both pistons outwards, away from the
regenerator)
crankshaft.
3-4 Process: T = constant compression (heat
Stroke 4 – Transfer: The momentum of the
rejection to the external sink)
flywheel carries the engine through the next 90
4-1 Process: v = constant regeneration (internal degrees, this causes most of the air to be
heat transfer from the regenerator back to the transferred over to the hot cylinder, completing
working fluid) the cycle.
Measurement of generated power

The efficiency of the Stirling cycle is expressed Based on the functional prototype that was
by Equation 1 developed, the measurement of generated
power was performed in a practical and
TL straightforward manner. With the assistance of
ηth,Stirling = 1 −
TH a generator and an LED, the power was
Equation 1 determined using Equation 2. For this purpose,
several pairs of pulleys were 3D-printed
Alpha Stirling engine (Figure 11) since this Stirling engine prototype
has limited load capacity. It was tested with
The Stirling engine is recognized as a
various configurations until achieving a brief
thermodynamic device comprising two distinct
and low-intensity illumination of a red LED.
cylinders, each housing a piston, strategically
arranged at a 90-degree angular displacement P=I∗V
from one another. This deliberate phase offset
Equation 2
facilitates the transfer of the working fluid
between the cylinders, where it undergoes
cycles of heating and cooling. These thermal
variations engender the conversion of thermal
energy into mechanical work. We can analyze
the cycle of the alpha Stirling engine in four
strokes as shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10 Four Strokes in an Alpha Stirling engine cycle

[2]. Figure 11. 3D-printed pulley.

Stroke 1 – Expansion: Most of the air within the

engine is in the hot cylinder. The gas heats,
For a typical red LED, its threshold values for
expands and drives both pistons inwards to the
both current and voltage are approximately 1.6
crankshaft.
V and 15 mA, respectively [4]. The

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measurements conducted are consistent with commercially obtained, a considerable
these values. Therefore, the power generated by amount of time must be dedicated to its
our Alpha Stirling engine prototype is around proper fabrication.
0.024 W. ▪ By changing the materials of certain
components, such as the cold cylinder
and the hot cylinder, we directly affect
Some alternative methods for determining the performance of the prototype. The
the generated power and thermodynamic coefficient of friction differs between
states. glass and stainless steel. We also
assume that the durability of these
• The use of Ansys software in pieces is lower. However, since it is an
conjunction with Finite Element educational prototype, this does not
Method (FEM) and Computational pose a major problem and actually
Fluid Dynamics (CFD) allows for the helps us better observe the
determination of values for each mechanism's functioning.
thermodynamic state, considering the
necessary boundary conditions.
• Schmidt’s theory, Schmidt carried out References
mathematical modeling and Stirling [1] Cengel, Y. A., & Boles, M. A. (2015).
engine analysis. His theory is based on Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach
harmonic pistons and device nodes (8th ed.).
movements, ideal isothermal
expansion and compression and ideal [2] Wikipedia contributors. (2023). Stirling
regeneration [3]. engine. Wikipedia.
• By coupling volume and pressure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine
sensors, it is possible to obtain the
[3] G. Walker., Stirling Engines, (1980),17,
remaining thermodynamic values at
Oxford Univ. Press.
each state. Using EES software, one
can calculate the indicated mean [4] Low Current Red Led Lamps by Everlight
effective pressure (IMEP) and Electronics Co Ltd Datasheet | DigiKey. (n.d.).
indicated power. https://www.digikey.tw/zh/htmldatasheets/pro
duction/852955/0/0/1/low-current-red-led-
lamps
Conclusions

▪ The future prospects of the Alpha

Stirling engine are promising due to its
energy efficiency, ability to utilize
various heat sources, and its potential
integration into renewable energy
systems. As the demand for sustainable
energy continues to grow, these
engines are likely to play an
increasingly important role in
generating clean and efficient power.
▪ In the manufacturing process of the
engine, one of the most important and
critical components to produce is the
piston. It is crucial to ensure the
functionality of this piece within the
mechanism. If it cannot be