MULTIPLE-CYLINDER, FREE-PISTON, ALPHA CONFIGURED STIRLING ENGINE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multistage alpha configured Stirling engine having reduced size and weight as well as maximized output and efficiency. SOLUTION: In the engine, a stepped piston 56 is inserted into a stepped cylinder 50 in a reciprocatively slidable manner and an expansion space 64 formed in the upper part of the piston is communicated with a compression space 68 formed in the lower part of another stepped cylinder 50 via heat exchangers 72, 74 and a heat accumulator 70. Since a capacity change between the expansion space 64 and the compression space 68 is in phase, both phase angles can be set to be values for maximizing output and efficiency. The cross sections of the small and large diameters of the stepped piston 56 are designed to be values for maximizing the performance. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT