A solar stirling engine based on a horizontal selective flat-plate converter is analyzed in this work. A detailed model for the heat losses towards the atmosphere is presented. The engine’s output power is maximised numerically. The analysis is based on meteorological data measured at Viking Landers sites during clear sky and dust storm conditions. All the computations were performed for a solar collection area similar in size with that of Mars Pathfinder’s Sojourner. The efficiency of converting solar energy into mechanical work at noon is as high as 18%. The power provided by the engine is as high as 16 W during autumn and winter. These results suggest that under the Martian environment the performance of properly designed solar Stirling engines is comparable with that of PV cell power systems.
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Simulation of a Solar Stirling Engine Operating Under Various Weather Conditions on Mars
Viorel Badescu
e-mail: address: badescu@theta.termo.pub.ro
Viorel Badescu
Candida Oancea Institute of Solar Energy, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Spl. Independentei 313, 77206 Bucharest, Romania
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Viorel Badescu
Candida Oancea Institute of Solar Energy, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Spl. Independentei 313, 77206 Bucharest, Romania
e-mail: address: badescu@theta.termo.pub.ro
Contributed by the Solar Energy Division of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS for publication in the ASME JOURNAL OF SOLAR ENERGY ENGINEERING. Manuscript received by the ASME Solar Energy Division, September 2003; final revision, November 2003. Associate Editor: R. Pitz-Paal.
J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2004, 126(2): 812-818 (7 pages)
Published Online: May 4, 2004
Article history
Received:
September 1, 2003
Revised:
November 1, 2003
Online:
May 4, 2004
Citation
Badescu, V. (May 4, 2004). "Simulation of a Solar Stirling Engine Operating Under Various Weather Conditions on Mars ." ASME. J. Sol. Energy Eng. May 2004; 126(2): 812–818. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1687796
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