Stirling Engine Combustor Alignment for Continuous Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
The dish-type Stirling solar generator operates unstably and cannot generate power continuously due to the intermittent availability of sunlight, restricting its use to daylight hours and reducing efficiency on cloudy days.
Innovation Solution
A dish-type Stirling solar generator system that utilizes a combustor with a position adjustment mechanism and a fuel supply system, allowing the use of gas or liquid fuels as a second heat source to maintain power generation during nocturnal or cloudy periods, ensuring continuous operation by aligning the combustor with the heat receiver and supplying fuel via a main switch valve, branch switch valve, regulating valve, and flexible conveying pipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a dish-type Stirling solar generator uses only solar energy as the heat source, then it achieves high photoelectric conversion efficiency and low starting loss, but it cannot operate continuously during night or cloudy days
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines solar energy and biomass energy into a dual heat source system. The Stirling engine can be driven by either solar concentration or biomass combustion, merging two energy sources to achieve continuous operation while maintaining high efficiency during solar availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The Stirling engine system is designed to accept multiple heat sources - solar concentration during the day and biomass combustion during night or cloudy periods. This multi-functionality allows continuous operation without sacrificing the high efficiency achieved with solar energy.
2Device complexity
If a dish-type Stirling solar generator relies solely on sunlight availability, then it maintains simple system structure, but it experiences unstable operation and cannot generate power continuously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates a biomass combustion system with the existing Stirling engine, combining two functional systems to provide continuous heat input. This merger ensures stable operation during periods when solar energy is unavailable without significantly complicating the overall system structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a heat storage or heat transfer intermediary system that can store thermal energy during solar availability and release it during non-solar periods, or transfer heat from biomass combustion to the Stirling engine. This intermediary ensures stable operation while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the combustor is added to enable continuous operation, then power generation continuity is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The Stirling engine is designed to accept multiple heat sources through a universal heat input interface. The combustor is integrated as an additional heat source option rather than a separate system, allowing continuous operation while minimizing additional complexity through multi-functional design.
Solution Approach 2:
The combustor is merged with the existing Stirling engine system, sharing common components such as the engine mechanism, generator, and control systems. This integration reduces the overall complexity increase that would result from completely separate solar and combustion systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables continuous day-and-night operation with stable power generation, combining solar and biomass energy for zero-CO2 emission and renewable energy sources, reducing the impact of climate variations and water consumption.
Implementation Method 1
dish-type Stirling solar power generation
Implementation Method 2
solar energy has been concerned by more and more people
Implementation Method 3
the combustible gas (combustible liquid) is replenished to supply heat for power generation
Implementation Method 4
dish-type Stirling solar power generation
Implementation Method 5
power generation by using the solar energy
Data Source
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AI summary
A disc-type solar Stirling engine power generation device capable of operating continuously day and night comprises a solar disc-type Stirling engine power generation unit (1). A burner (2) and a burner position adjustment mechanism (3) capable of adjusting a burning opening of the burner to aim at a heat receiver of the disc-type solar Stirling engine unit or leave the heat receiver are disposed on each disc-type solar Stirling engine unit. The position adjustment mechanism is installed on a support (1a) of the disc-type solar Stirling engine. The burner (2) is installed on the position adjustment mechanism. A fuel supply system (4) of the burner is connected to the burner through a main switching valve (4c), a branch switching valve (5), a regulation valve (6), and a flexible fuel pipe (7). The Stirling power generation device is capable of stably generating power during nights and cloudy days.