Design of a Stirling Machine in a Multi-Cylinder Configuration for Microcogeneration

At present, the attention of the market in Stirling engines is increasing for small size applications of electrical power generation. These engines are based on a simple principle of functioning and could employ renewable energy sources. Two main configurations are available on the market: the first is a four-cylinder engine with wobble yoke mechanism and the second is represented by the single-cylinder free-piston concept. The paper is aimed at investigating several multi-cylinder configurations for the improvement of the engine performances. These are evaluated by means of numerical simulations taking into account the dynamics of the mechanism and the thermal aspects of the cycle. In particular the attention of the authors is focused on the design of a new configuration with a higher number of cylinders.