Anatomy of the Stirling Engine Cycle

Conditions are isolated for thermodynamic processes in two Stirling cycle machines to be identical. The conditions form the basis for the concept of ‘functional similarity’. Using the similarity conditions the designer may scale the detailed gas circuit specification of a viable Stirling engine to a derivative design of different size, crankshaft speed, working fluid and pressure. The method complements, and provides an independent check of, the simulation approach to gas circuit design.