Stirling Engine Software Program
Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:22 pm
I created a software program that can be used to design high-power Stirling engines. Since this is a Stirling engine community I figured this would be a good place to let people know about it.
The program doesn't have a GUI (Graphical User Interface) like some people have come to expect from analytical programs. It's based on simple user input that is entered into a text file and which the program uses to run. So it's not "fancy" but it does the job.
The program captures the essential physics of Stirling engines, but you do not have to understand the math and physics to use the program. I set it up, along with a user manual, so that if you're a more practical person it's still straightforward to use.
The physics of the program is more advanced than the basic Schmidt analysis and Ideal Adiabatic analysis that is described in many websites. It's a simplified third-order model. If anyone cares to know what that means exactly, let me know. But again, it is not necessary to understand the math to use the program.
Why did I create this program?
Like most of you I am passionate about Stirling engines and believe they deserve a place in the alternative energy future. And since I have a degree in mechanical engineering it makes sense that I would be interested in this sort of thing :) But regardless, they are fascinating machines from the practical and theoretical point of view. However, understanding them in detail takes some serious effort no matter your background. This no doubt tends to discourage most. The fact is, unlike Internal Combustion Engines, Stirling engines are not intuitively easy to understand. There are intangibles like regenerator design, heat exchanger design, amount of dead space relative to dead volume, etc. These must be properly selected to optimize the design. And it's impossible to know these just from "feel". This is where a software program comes in handy.
A software program also comes in very handy because it allows you to optimize the design before building the engine. This reduces trial and error and fabrication cost.
This program is the result of a year and a half of effort, both from reading about Stirling engines in the technical literature and from my own design efforts. As it currently stands, the bulk of the analytical tools out there for Stirling engines are either proprietary company secrets or are very expensive. And none of the widely known analysis methods found online such as Schmidt and Ideal Adiabatic analysis even come close to having enough model detail to optimize and design real-world engines. So as far as I know my program is one of the few programs out there that is high on the level of accessibility and usefulness.
That said, my program is not free, but it's very affordable, costing $45 for the complete package, which includes program plus manual.
So yeah, this post is part information and part sales pitch lol. But I intend on being an active contributor here as well.
More details of the software program is on my blog:
http://newenergydirection.com/blog/2009/03/stirling-engine-design-program
The program doesn't have a GUI (Graphical User Interface) like some people have come to expect from analytical programs. It's based on simple user input that is entered into a text file and which the program uses to run. So it's not "fancy" but it does the job.
The program captures the essential physics of Stirling engines, but you do not have to understand the math and physics to use the program. I set it up, along with a user manual, so that if you're a more practical person it's still straightforward to use.
The physics of the program is more advanced than the basic Schmidt analysis and Ideal Adiabatic analysis that is described in many websites. It's a simplified third-order model. If anyone cares to know what that means exactly, let me know. But again, it is not necessary to understand the math to use the program.
Why did I create this program?
Like most of you I am passionate about Stirling engines and believe they deserve a place in the alternative energy future. And since I have a degree in mechanical engineering it makes sense that I would be interested in this sort of thing :) But regardless, they are fascinating machines from the practical and theoretical point of view. However, understanding them in detail takes some serious effort no matter your background. This no doubt tends to discourage most. The fact is, unlike Internal Combustion Engines, Stirling engines are not intuitively easy to understand. There are intangibles like regenerator design, heat exchanger design, amount of dead space relative to dead volume, etc. These must be properly selected to optimize the design. And it's impossible to know these just from "feel". This is where a software program comes in handy.
A software program also comes in very handy because it allows you to optimize the design before building the engine. This reduces trial and error and fabrication cost.
This program is the result of a year and a half of effort, both from reading about Stirling engines in the technical literature and from my own design efforts. As it currently stands, the bulk of the analytical tools out there for Stirling engines are either proprietary company secrets or are very expensive. And none of the widely known analysis methods found online such as Schmidt and Ideal Adiabatic analysis even come close to having enough model detail to optimize and design real-world engines. So as far as I know my program is one of the few programs out there that is high on the level of accessibility and usefulness.
That said, my program is not free, but it's very affordable, costing $45 for the complete package, which includes program plus manual.
So yeah, this post is part information and part sales pitch lol. But I intend on being an active contributor here as well.
More details of the software program is on my blog:
http://newenergydirection.com/blog/2009/03/stirling-engine-design-program