Objetivo THE STIRLING ENGINE IS A CLOSED-CYCLE GAS HEAT ENGINE. THE HEAT SOURCE CAN ACCEPT HEAT OF VARYING ORIGIN (FUEL, INDUSTRIAL WASTE HEAT, ETC). ONE OF THE AIMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF STIRLING ENGINES IS TO HAVE A MULTIFUEL HIGH-PERFORMANCE THERMO-ELECTRIC CONVERTOR WITH A POWER RATING RANGING FROM A FEW KWE TO SEVERAL HUNDRED KWE AND CAPABLE OF OPERATING IN A COMBINED HEAT/POWER MODE (TOTAL ENERGY). SUCH A MACHINE, CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ELECTRIC POWER FROM FUEL OIL, COAL, BIOMASS OR FROM WASTE HEAT SHOULD BE ABLE TO COMPETE WITH DIESEL ENGINES USED TO POWER AUTONOMOUS ELECTRICAL GENERATING SETS. THE ENGINE PROPOSED BY BERTIN IS A NEW TYPE OF STIRLING ENGINE FOR GENERATING ELECTRICITY. THE PRESENT TECHNOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES WHICH ARE ENCOUNTERED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE MACHINES WITH A MECHANICAL POWER OUTPUT ARE THE GAS LEAKAGE FROM THE DYNAMIC SEALS AND FOULING OF THE REGENERATOR EXCHANGERS DUE TO THE LUBRICANTS. THE BASIC ALTERNATIVES CHOSEN TO OVERCOME THESE DIFFICULTIES ARE A SEALED MACHINE WITH AN ELECTRICAL POWER OUTPUT, FREE PISTONS WITH DRY BEARINGS AND LINEAR GENERATORS CONTROLLED BY AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM. THE RESEARCH CONSISTS OF DEMONSTRATING THE FEASIBILITY OF SUCH AN ENGINE USING A 3 KW PROTOTYPE. THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THIS PROTOTYPE HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT IN COLLABORATION WITH CREUSOT-LOIRE. INITIALLY, THE ENGINE WAS ASSEMBLED WITH NO POWER PISTON AND OPERATED (FOR 200 HOURS) TO MEASURE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE HEAT EXCHANGERS AND THE MECHANICAL LOSSES OF THE DISPLACER. THE TESTS SHOWED SATISFACTORY MECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR AND VERY ENCOURAGING PERFORMANCES OF THE HEAT EXCHANGERS. LATER TESTS WERE PERFORMED ON THE COMPLETED MACHINE. A CONTROL OF THE FREE PISTON MOTION WAS INTRODUCED AND SMOOTH OPERATION WAS OBTAINED. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT UNDER CONTRACT EE-D1-305 WAS TO FIND A PAIR OF MATERIALS BEST-SUITED FOR DRY-LUBRICATED SLIDING GUIDE BEARINGS FOR THE STIRLING ENGINE. TO ACHIEVE THIS, COMPONENTS CONSTRUCTED FROM THESE MATERIALS HAVE BEEN EVALUATED ON A TEST RIG REPRODUCING OPERATING CONDITIONS APPROACHING THOSE IN THE STIRLING ENGINE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE FRICTION COEFFICIENT OF THE TEST PIECES WAS CHECKED ON A CONVENTIONAL TRIBOMETER. SIX PAIRS OF MATERIALS FOR A PISTON AND A CYLINDER WERE TESTED. THE MAIN CONCLUSION WAS THAT BEST BEHAVIOUR IS OBTAINED WITH TWO TYPES OF MATERIAL PAIRS : TUNGSTEN CARBIDE FOR THE CYLINDER AND CHROMIUM OXIDE FOR THE PISTON; NITRIDED STAINLESS STEEL FOR THE CYLINDER AND MOLYBDENUM WITH MOS2 IMPREGNATION FOR THE PISTON. THE LAST PAIR OF MATERIALS WAS CHOSEN FOR THE BEARINGS OF THE PROTOTYPE. THIS OPERATED FOR 400 HOURS, BUT AFTER 200 HOURS THERE WAS WEARING OF THE PISTONS DUE TO THE LOW HARDNESS OF MOLYBDENUM. IN ORDER TO EXTEND THE LIFETIME OF THE BEARINGS, PROVEN CERAMIC MATERIALS OF INCREASED HARDNESS WERE FINALLY SELECTED FOR THE FUTURE TESTS. Programa(s) PRE-ENNONUC 2C - Energy research and development programme (EEC), 1979-1983 Tema(s) Data not available Convocatoria de propuestas Data not available Régimen de financiación Data not available Coordinador Bertin & Cie Aportación de la UE Sin datos Dirección 59 rue Pierre Curie Zone Industrielle des Gatines 78373 Plaisir Francia Ver en el mapa Coste total Sin datos
