The Development Status of an Automotive Stirling Engine

Abstract

The Stirling engine represents an alternative power plant with superior efficiency and multifuel capability over existing engines, but success in applying the Stirling to automotive use has remained elusive. Its potential has been realized through the development of an automotive Stirling engine, designated the Mod II. The Mod II engine represents the culmination of the Automotive Stirling Engine Development program begun in 1978. The program was managed by the Department of Energy and administered by the NASA-Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The goals of the program were to develop an automotive Stirling engine and to transfer Stirling technology to the United States. The Mod II Stirling engine demonstrates the achievement of these two goals. Installed in a General Motors 1985 Chevrolet Celebrity car, this engine has a predicted combined fuel economy on unleaded gasoline of 17.5 km/Q (41 mi/gal) — a value 50% above the fleet average. The Mod II Stirling engine is a four-cylinder V-drive design with a single crankshaft. The engine is also equipped with all the controls and auxiliaries necessary for automotive operation.