Project Title:

Advanced Stirling Engine Heater Head

10.01-4000
Advanced Stirling Engine Heater Head
Stirling Technology Co.
2952 George Washington Way
Richland, WA 99352
Peter Riggle  (509-375-4000)
LeRC -- NAS3-25334

Abstract:

	 The goal of this project is to build and demonstrate a proprietary, pressure-stabilized,
heater head (PSHH) for a Stirling engine which offers long life, high reliability,
improved performance, and lower costs relative to existing technologies. The U.S.
Patent Office has recently issued a patent allowance for this unique heater head
concept. Evaluations of the PSHH by the firm's engineers show that it has the potential
for eliminating virtually all the problems currently experienced by existing heater-head
designs.
	Phase I work, now successfully completed, expanded the analytical basis for the
proposed design. The reference engine selected for the evaluation of the PSHH is
a 25-kW solar engine conceptually designed under NASA contract. A key result of Phase
I is the preliminary design and layout of a PSHH configuration upon which to base
the test-bed design. A full-scale, three-dimensional model of the heat-pipe condenser
portion of the PSHH was fabricated as part of Phase I to allow visualization of the
hardware geometry. Phase I also defined the approach and objectives for future testing.

Potential Commercial Application:

Potential Commercial Application: Commercial applications include space-reactor or
solar-thermal power generation, terrestrial solar power generation, heat pumps, Stirling
automotive engines, and portable or remote power generators.