LOW-POWER BASELINE TEST RESULTS FOR THE GPU 3 STIRLING ENGINE

摘要

As part of its project management responsibilities for the Department of Energy's Stirling Engine Highway Vehicle Systems Program, the NASA Lewis Research Center has converted a 7.5-kW (10-hp) Stirling engine to a research configuration in order to obtain data for validating Stirling-cycle computer simulations. The engine was originally built by General Motors Research Lab¬oratories for the U.S. Army in 1965 as part of a 3-kW engine-generator set that was designated the GPU 3 (Ground Power Unit 3). This report summarizes test results for a range of heater-tube gas temperatures, mean compression-space pressures, and engine speeds with both helium and hydrogen as the working fluid. An instrumentation system to determine indicated work is described and preliminary results are presented.