DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF NEW STIRLING ENGINE DISC HEATER.

The Stirling engine heater is a key component between the external heat source system and the working circulation system, which drives the piston by transmitting heat energy to the working gas. In this study, based on the U-shaped tube heater, a disc heater was designed and manufactured, and the average photo-thermal conversion efficiency reached 56.58% under outdoor conditions. The heat flux distribution of the two heaters at the same solar normal direct irradiance of 1000 W/m2 was compared using TracePro optical simulation software. The results show that the average heat flux density of the disc heater (2.083 · 103 W/m2) is more uniform than that of the U-shaped tube heater, and the effective radiation area is larger, which verifies the rationality of the design of the disc heater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]