Enhancing solar stirling engine performance through the use of innovative heat transfer fin shapes

Abstract

One of the challenges in designing and optimizing solar energy systems is achieving maximum power and efficiency at the lowest cost. This study focuses on using heat transfer fins to enhance energy absorption in the heater section of a solar Stirling engine. To begin, we model a parabolic solar collector system, considering factors that influence the amount of heat transfer to the heater section of the Stirling engine. Next, we model the Stirling engine using the PSVL model, which accounts for factors such as gas leakage, the temperature distribution in heat exchangers, longitudinal heat loss, polytropic heat transfer in cylinders, and other effects. In this paper, we also propose modifications to the basic model and introduce heat transfer fins made of FGM, with unique geometry and variable thickness, on the heater section of the solar Stirling engine to increase the heat received by the working fluid. We perform a thermal analysis of the fins to evaluate their impact on the heat the Stirling engine receives, including the effects of convection and radiation on the environment. We find that using these new fins in the heater section of the Stirling engine significantly increases the power and efficiency of the system.