Booth Id:
ENMC035
Category:
Year:
2016
Finalist Names:
Lossef, Samuel
Abstract:
The purpose of this project was to determine if the use of a) pyrolytic graphite heat sinking and of b) phase change material affects the performance of a Stirling engine. Rotational speed and temperature were measured, using a low temperature differential (gamma) Stirling engine modified by a) adding pyrolytic graphite sheeting as a heat sink, and by b) applying a phase change material to the upper engine plate, as compared to a control engine with no modifications. The use of the pyrolytic graphite heat sink was found to improve performance by increasing the mean peak rotational speed by 10.2% (p=0.016) and the duration by 45.1% (p=0.0007), compared to controls. On the other hand, use of the phase contrast material was found to diminish performance, decreasing the mean peak rotational speed by 21.4% and the duration by 16.4%, compared to controls. In conclusion, the use of pyrolytic graphite is a promising enhancement of Stirling engine performance.