Simple-mix: Thermodynamics modeling in a Gama-type Stirling engine with a working fluid mixture

Abstract

The Stirling engine is an external combustion engine that can be utilized in electricity generation. Existing literature indicates that air is less expensive than helium as the working fluid but has the low power and efficiency. Hence, the present updated MATLAB code attempts to use a mixture of air and helium as working fluids or other mixtures of other gases. To this end, this software proposes an experimentally validated nonideal thermodynamic model for a Gama-type Stirling engine. After validation, a mixing gas of air and helium was used instead of an operating fluid in the thermodynamic model. Finally, three examples were run to demonstrate the software outputs for a hybrid engine.