An experimental study on the performance of the moving regenerator for a γ-type twin power piston Stirling engine

In this paper, a helium charge gamma-type twin power piston Stirling engine has been studied experimentally to understand the effects of several regenerator parameters on the overall performance of the engine. The regenerator incorporated in this engine is a moving regenerator which is housed inside the displacer of the engine, and the parameters investigated include regenerator matrix material, matrices arrangement, matrix wire diameter, and fill factor. Stacked-woven metal screens have been used as regenerator matrix materials. The results include engine shaft torque, power, and efficiency versus engine speed at several engine's hot-end temperatures. It is found that all parameters pose significant impact on engine performance. Copper is a superior regenerator material than stainless steel for the current engine; regenerator matrix screens have to be installed in a manner that the working-gas-flow direction is normal to the surface of matrix screens; very small wire diameter results in large pressure drop and reduce regenerator effectiveness; and there exists an optimal fill factor. The study offers some important information for the design of moving regenerator in a gamma-type Stirling engine. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.