Numerical prediction of the instantaneous regenerator and in-cylinder heat transfer of a stirling engine

The paper is concerned with the study of the effects of the in-cylinder and regenerator heat transfer characteristics of a single-acting opposed-piston Stirling engine, with heater and cooler both omitted, for which a simulation model has been developed. The engine thermodynamic cycle is divided into a number of time-steps, and a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, which describe the energy balances over the three basic control volumes (hot and cold cylinders and regenerator), is solved numerically. Empirical correlations are used to determine the instantaneous heat transfer coefficients in the regenerator (flow across a porous medium) and inside the cylinder space (gas confined in a cylindrical volume with a moving boundary). Numerical results from the model are presented.