The Stirling cycle uses a self-contained working fluid and internal heat exchange to convert heat into mechanical motion. It is used in engines, heat pumps, and refrigeration. The cycle involves compression, heat addition, expansion, and heat removal. It is a regenerative cycle and can act as a heat pump if mechanical energy is supplied.
The Stirling cycle is a type of regenerative thermodynamic cycle capable of using a self-contained working fluid and an internal heat exchange component, to convert heat into mechanical motion or vice versa. This makes the Stirling cycle useful in engines, heat pumps, refrigeration and numerous other applications. A number of different engine designs use the Stirling cycle, most of which contain one or two cylinders. Regardless of specific design, an engine using this cycle goes through the four stages of compression, heat addition, expansion, and heat removal.
There are several external combustion engines, each of which uses a different type of thermodynamic cycle. Steam engines operate on the principles of the Rankine cycle, which uses a working fluid, such as water, in both a liquid and gaseous state. Other fluids have to be added from time to time, reducing the efficiency of these systems. The Stirling cycle, originally invented in 1816 as a rival to the Rankine cycle, uses a working fluid which is sealed within the system. In most cases, the working fluid used in Stirling engines is air.
The basic idea of the Stirling cycle revolves around the heating, and subsequent cooling, of a single volume of working fluid. This causes thermal expansion and contraction of the fluid, which can be used to do mechanical work. In most cases, this is accomplished by connecting the pistons to a flywheel. As the fluid within the system expands and contracts, the pistons are pushed up and down, which spins the flywheel. The Stirling cycle is referred to as a regenerative cycle due to the fact that the fluid is self contained and the same volume of fluid is used in both the compression chamber and the expansion chamber.
The use of the Stirling cycle is not limited to engines, as the process is also reversible. This means that it is possible for a device using this cycle to act as a heat pump if mechanical energy is supplied. In this case, external mechanical power is used to drive the pistons, which pump the working fluid between the expansion chamber and the compression chamber. Depending on a device’s configuration, this reverse cycle can be used in a heat pump, refrigeration device, or any other application that requires the transfer of thermal energy.
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