Stirling Cycle Research Group
Stirling Cycle machines are among the most efficient practical heat engines ever built.
The Stirling Cycle Research Group believes that Stirling machinery is a superior replacement for the existing technology currently used in many situations, for example: remote area power supply, small-scale domestic co-generation schemes, most heat-pump applications, and some refrigeration applications.
It is the intention of this group to do fundamental research into Stirling-cycle thermodynamics, but also (unlike many other groups with research interests in this area) to use the results of our research to develop practical machinery at a prototype level, with a view to commercial use in the real world.
We are happy to undertake Stirling R&D projects (including full machine prototype development) for commercial clients, as long as it does not conflict with our obligations to existing customers or research partners.
A short introduction to Stirling machinery and thermodynamics can be found here.
The Group
| Group leader | Dr Alan Tucker |
| Adjunct researcher (Industrial Research Ltd) | Alan Caughley |
| Adjunct researcher (Industrial Research Ltd) | Dr David Haywood |
| Emeritus consultant (Massey University) | Professor John Raine |
| Adjunct member (Technical Director, WhisperTech Ltd) (www.whispergen.com) | Dr Don Clucas |
| Technical Officer in thermodynamics | Eric Cox |
| Technical Officer in tool-making and CAD/CAM | Ken Brown |
Current and Recent Research
Development of a low-cost Stirling engine for remote area power supply and domestic cogeneration systems
This project was initiated by Prof. Raine and Dr Don Clucas (former member of the Stirling Cycle Research Group). The resulting technology has now been commercialized as the award-winning WhisperGenTM Personal Power Station in the rapidly growing company, Whisper Tech Ltd. Dr Clucas is now Technical Director of Whisper Tech Ltd.
Development of a 3kW Stirling engine based on the generic WhisperGenTM design
This project was commissioned by Whisper Tech Ltd to investigate the possibility of a scaled-up version of the WhisperGenTM engine for higher-power applications. A prototype was successfully built that met all of the design requirements.
Development of a low-cost Stirling refrigerator and heat-pump
The Stirling Cycle can be thermodynamically reversed to operate as a refrigerator or heat-pump. This award-winning FiRST-funded project investigated the possibility of using a Stirling machine for low-cost small-commercial "freezer" and domestic heat-pump applications using air (the ultimate environmentally-friendly chemical) as the refrigerant. A machine was designed and built which produced very competitive results for certain refrigeration and heat-pumping applications. For more information see Haywood (2004).
Seal modelling and development programme
Rubbing seals can be a very low-cost solution to piston seal requirements in Stirling-cycle machines. However, the behaviour of seals in double-acting Stirling-cycle configurations is not well understood. This programme involved the development and experimental verification of seal simulation software that can be used to optimize seal design and can be integrated into more general Stirling-cycle simulation packages (such as Sage). For more information see Haywood (2004).
Regenerator development programme
The regenerator lies at the heart of any Stirling-cycle machine. This project is funded in conjunction with the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and investigates different regenerator materials and configurations to optimize performance in Stirling-cycle engines, refrigerators, and heat-pumps. For more information, contact Alan Tucker.
The "Stirling Student"
The Stirling-cycle Research Group was commissioned by Professor David Painter to design a Stirling-cycle engine for his ENGR110 course that could be built by Year 1 students, and would cost less than US$1.00 per engine. The result was a variation on the common "Test-tube Stirling" design and is constructed from cardboard, paperclips, marbles, a test-tube, a balloon, and a lot of duct-tape. Detailed instructions on how to build one yourself can be found here.
Recent Publications
Haywood, D. (2004), Investigation of Stirling-type Heat-pump and Refrigerator Systems Using Air as the Refrigerant, Ph.D. thesis, University of Canterbury.
Haywood, D. and Gschwendtner, M. A. (2003), 'A shot in the cold: a new open regenerative cycle for heat-pumps and refrigerators', In: Proceedings of the 11th International Stirling Engine Conference, University of Rome, Rome, pp. 239-247.
Haywood, D., Raine, J.K., Gschwendtner M.A. (2002), 'Stirling-cycle Heat-pumps and Refrigerators - A Realistic Alternative?', In: Proceedings of the IRHACE Technical Conference, IRHACE, Christchurch, pp. 111-118.
Gschwendtner, M. A. (2002), Experimental investigation of regenerator materials in Stirling-cycle machines, DFG Report GS 14/1-2, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Berlin.
Haywood, D., Raine, J. K. and Gschwendtner, M. A. (2001), 'Investigation of seal performance in a 4-a double-acting Stirling-cycle heat-pump/refrigerator', In: Proceedings of the 10th International Stirling Engine Conference, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, pp. 181-188.
Haywood, D. (1999), Stirling heat-pump and refrigerator system development, GRIF Report WTL501, Foundation for Research, Science, and Technology, Wellington.
Haywood, D. and Raine, J. K. (1998), 'Development of a Stirling Cycle refrigerator', In: Proceedings of the IPENZ Annual Conference, Vol. 4, IPENZ Inc., Wellington, pp. 40-44.
Raine, J.K., van Rij, C.W. and Clucas, D.M. (1997), 'Considerations in Recuperative burner design for a small 4 cylinder double-acting Stirling engine', In: Proceedings of the 10th International Stirling Engine Conference, University of Ancona, Italy, pp. 169-78.
Raine, J.K., and Clucas, D.M. (1997), 'The WhisperGen: a strategy for commercial production', In: Proceedings of the 10th International Stirling Engine Conference, University of Ancona, Italy, pp. 159-68.
Raine, J.K. and Clucas, D.M. (1997), 'Rapid product development in an uncertain design environment', In: Proceedings of World Congress Manufacturing Technology Towards 2000, Cairns, Australia, pp. 491-500.
D.M. Clucas and J.K. Raine, "A New Wobble Drive with particular application in a Stirling engine", Journal of Mech. Eng. Sci., Proc. of Inst. of Mech. Engrs, Part C, vol. 208 (1994), pp337-346.
D.M. Clucas “Development of a Stirling Engine Battery Charger Based on a Low Cost Wobble Mechanism” PhD. Thesis University of Canterbury 1993.
D.M. Clucas and J.K Raine, "Development of a hermetically sealed Stirling engine battery charger", Journal of Mech. Eng. Sci., Proc. of Inst. of Mech. Engrs, Part C, vol. 208 1994.
Laboratory Facilities
Research Opportunities
If you are interested in working on other aspects of Stirling-Cycle research (other than those listed above), and you have an excellent Honours, Masters, or Doctorate degree, then please contact Alan Tucker to discuss possible research opportunities.