In-Cylinder Heat Transfer in an Ericsson Engine Prototype

Abstract

An Ericsson engine is an external heat supply engine working according to a Joule thermodynamic cycle. It is based on reciprocating piston-cylinder machines. Such engines are especially interesting for low power solar energy conversion and micro-CHP from conventional fossil fuels or from biomass. An Ericsson engine prototype has been designed and realized. Due to the geometrical configuration of the compression space of this prototype, in-cylinder fluid wall heat transfer can be important. The influence of this heat transfer on the engine performance is modelled and the main results are presented. The experimental setup designed to study the in-cylinder heat transfer is presented.