Energies 2013, 6(2), 717-732; doi:10.3390/en6020717
Article

Application Model for a Stirling Engine Micro-Generation System in Caravans in Different European Locations

Carlos Ulloa 1,* email, Jacobo Porteiro 2 email, Pablo Eguía 2 email and José M. Pousada-Carballo 1 email
1 Defense University Center, The Naval Academy, Plaza de España 2, Marín 36920, Spain 2 Industrial Engineering School, University of Vigo, Lagoas Marcosende s/n, Vigo 36310, Spain
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 27 November 2012; in revised form: 25 January 2013 / Accepted: 29 January 2013 / Published: 6 February 2013
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Combined Heat and Power – Strategy and Practice)
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Abstract: This article describes a simple model obtained from a commercial Stirling engine and used for heating a caravan. The Stirling engine has been tested in the lab under different electrical load conditions, and the operating points obtained are presented. As an application of the model, a series of transient simulations was performed using TRNSYS. During these simulations, the caravan is traveling throughout the day and is stationary at night. Therefore, during the night-time hours, the heating system is turned on by means of the Stirling engine. The study was performed for each month of the year in different European cities. The different heating demand profiles for different cities induce variation in the electricity production, as it has been assumed that electricity is only generated when the thermal demand requires the operation of the Stirling system. As a result, a comparison of the expected power generation in different European cities is presented.
Keywords: Stirling engine; micro-cogeneration; TRNSYS; meteonorm; caravan

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MDPI and ACS Style

Ulloa, C.; Porteiro, J.; Eguía, P.; Pousada-Carballo, J.M. Application Model for a Stirling Engine Micro-Generation System in Caravans in Different European Locations. Energies 2013, 6, 717-732.

AMA Style

Ulloa C, Porteiro J, Eguía P, Pousada-Carballo JM. Application Model for a Stirling Engine Micro-Generation System in Caravans in Different European Locations. Energies. 2013; 6(2):717-732.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ulloa, Carlos; Porteiro, Jacobo; Eguía, Pablo; Pousada-Carballo, José M. 2013. "Application Model for a Stirling Engine Micro-Generation System in Caravans in Different European Locations." Energies 6, no. 2: 717-732.

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