4 kW Power Thermoacoustic Stirling Heat Engine Test Results

Abstract

A Thermoacoustic Stirling Heat Engine (TASHE) that produces 4 kW of acoustic power is being developed to drive a pulse tube refrigerator (PTR) for instrument cooling and a linear alternator for power generation on a Venus lander. This duplex system is expected to be highly efficient and has no moving parts at high temperature, improving reliability. Test data on a modified 4 kW TASHE using a dummy acoustic load indicates the engine has a 36.4 percent actual efficiency (acoustic to electrical input power) at 945 K operating temperature and 287 K heat rejection temperature, resulting in a 52.2 percent Carnot efficiency.