Experimental investigation to evaluate the performance profile of a small-scale standalone concentrated solar parabolic dish Stirling system

Abstract

In this study, a small-scale solar parabolic dish Stirling system (SPDSS) is designed, developed and experimentally operated to generate electricity. The developed system is composed of a solar concentrator, a Stirling engine-generator set, and dual-axis tracking mechanism. The locally assembled Stirling engine is air-filled, double-acting gamma, with a nominal power rating of 40 W. There are six essential output parameters including engine displacer temperature, average engine speed, generator terminal voltage, load current, electrical power and overall efficiency of the system, which have been measured experimentally to assess global performance of the system. The experimental results revealed that the developed system could yield a maximum engine displacer temperature of 275°C, average engine speed of 261 RPM, peak generator no-load terminal voltage of 31.3 V, maximum load current of 2.67 amps, maximum electrical power of 17 W and overall efficiency of 3.4%. The experimental results, for the purpose of validation, have also been compared with simulation results and found in good agreement.