A critical parametric investigation of a solar dish concentrator integrated with a stirling power engine

In this work, a novel solar parabolic dish collector with an integrated rhombic Stirling engine is investigated. The collector is studied in steady-state conditions for several different operating cases, while an analytical solution is developed for calculating the useful power output as a function of the receiver?s temperature. The results are successfully verified via a numerical model developed in SolidWorks software, resulting in deviations lower than 5.3%. Subsequently, the verified analytical solution is used for conducting a parametric study in which the aperture diameter of the dish is modified, considering a receiver temperature range from 300 to 600oC. The collector?s thermal efficiency is calculated for each operating case. Moreover, the mechanical efficiency of the Stirling engine is calculated via a developed model. The overall efficiency is then calculated, and the optimum operating point in each diameter case is revealed. The maximum overall efficiency considering a reflector?s outer diameter of 1.2 m is calculated at 38.71%, whereas it is determined at 41.51% for a diameter of 1.4 m. Finally, it is found that the greater the diameter, the higher the optimum efficiency and the receiver temperature at which the optimum efficiency is achieved.