Recent Stirling Engine Loss-understanding Results

For several years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and other U.S. Government agencies have been funding experimental and analytical efforts to improve the understanding of Stirling thermodynamic losses. NASA's objective is to improve Stirling engine design capability to support the development of new engines for space power. An overview of these efforts was last given at the 1988 IECEC. Recent results of this research are reviewed here.