Stirling Engine Assessment
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Stirling Engine Assessment S E D N WARNING: E L Please read the License Agreement C A I I on the back cover before removing L R E the Wrapping Material. M A T Technical Report Stirling Engine Assessment 1007317 Final Report, October 2002 EPRI Project Manager D. Thimsen EPRI • 3412 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304 • PO Box 10412, Palo Alto, California 94303 • USA 800.313.3774 • 650.855.2121 • [email protected] • www.epri.com DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES THIS DOCUMENT WAS PREPARED BY THE ORGANIZATION(S) NAMED BELOW AS AN ACCOUNT OF WORK SPONSORED OR COSPONSORED BY THE ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC. (EPRI). 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ORGANIZATION(S) THAT PREPARED THIS DOCUMENT Energy International, Inc. ORDERING INFORMATION Requests for copies of this report should be directed to EPRI Orders and Conferences, 1355 Willow Way, Suite 278, Concord, CA 94520, (800) 313-3774, press 2 or internally x5379, (925) 609-9169, (925) 609-1310 (fax). Electric Power Research Institute and EPRI are registered service marks of the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. EPRI. ELECTRIFY THE WORLD is a service mark of the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. Copyright © 2002 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. CITATIONS This report was prepared by Energy International, Inc. 127 Bellevue Way SE Suite 200 Bellevue, WA 98004 Principal Investigator J. Majeski This report describes research sponsored by EPRI. The report is a corporate document that should be cited in the literature in the following manner: Stirling Engine Assessment, EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 2002. 1007317. iii REPORT SUMMARY Stirling engines are reciprocating engines that are fueled by an external heat source. This report presents a summary of the technical trends, commercialization status, and economic viability of Stirling engine technology for distributed generation (DG) applications. Background EPRI strives to provide its utility members with information about emerging DG technologies that may offer new business opportunities and attractive customer solutions. While fuel cells and microturbines have received a majority of the recent focus, Stirling engine technology is beginning to receive more attention as a viable—and potentially competitive—DG option. Objectives To document the state of the art in the commercial development of Stirling engine technology for DG applications as of June 2002. Approach The information in this report was obtained through research consisting of literature and web- based searches and telephone interviews with nineteen companies worldwide that are involved in the development and/or sales of Stirling engine technology. Results Recent interest in distributed generation has sparked new activity in the Stirling industry; however, only a single commercially available distributed generation product based on the Stirling engine has emerged thus far. Numerous companies are striving to bring a wide array of Stirling products to market for a breadth of applications. Most popular are products planned for residential combined-heat and power applications and small-commercial DG, particularly where “free” or “inexpensive” fuels are readily available. Several Stirling companies presently have prototype products available for testing and demonstration. These systems range in size from 1 to 25 kWe and vary widely in price from $2,000 to $36,000/kWe. Through economies of scale, most Stirling developers ultimately plan to decrease the selling price of their products to less than $1,000/kWe. v EPRI Perspective While field test experience is not yet sufficient to allow for full commercialization of Stirling engines, it is substantial relative to some of the other emerging DG technologies. The primary challenge is to develop a Stirling engine product that may be mass produced at a competitive cost while maintaining a performance that is superior to the incumbent technologies, particularly internal-combustion engines. Today’s Stirling developers may be able to meet the challenge with improvement in several areas of engine design, including speed control, sealing, mechanical linkage, and heat transfer. Prototype testing and demonstration is the only meaningful way to determine if vendors are able to solve these fundamental technical issues. Keywords Stirling engines Stirling cycle External-combustion engines Reciprocating engines Engine generator sets Distributed generation vi EPRI Licensed Material ABSTRACT This report documents the state of the art in the commercial development of Stirling engine technology for distributed generation (DG) applications. Utilities seeking new business opportunities and customer solutions based on emerging DG technologies will benefit from it. While fuel cells and microturbines have been a primary focus for emerging DG technologies, Stirling engine technology is beginning to attract more attention as a viable—and potentially competitive—DG option. Though only a single DG product based on the Stirling engine is commercially available, numerous companies are working to bring a wide array of Stirling engine products to market. At this point, products are planned for residential combined-heat and power applications and small- commercial DG. Current prototype products range in size from 1 to 25 kWe and vary widely in price from $2,000 to $36,000/kWe. As the market matures, the selling price should fall to less than $1,000/kWe. By improving engine design, developers may be able to mass produce Stirling engine products at a competitive cost while maintaining performance that is superior to existing technologies—particularly internal-combustion engines. Utilities can refer to this report for an up-to-date summary of the technical trends, commercialization status, and economic viability of Stirling engine technology for DG applications. vii EPRI Licensed Material EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Stirling engine, an example of an external combustion engine, is an emerging prime mover technology for distributed generation (DG) applications. In a Stirling engine, heat is transferred through the hot-end cylinder walls to a confined working fluid and is then converted to mechanical work via the Stirling thermodynamic cycle. To complete the cycle, heat is absorbed from the working fluid through the cold-end cylinder walls by a coolant. This differs from an internal combustion (IC) engine, which relies on the ignition of fuel within the engine cylinder to force the piston down with large amounts of heat rejected in the exhaust gas. Kinematic Stirling engines have a crankshaft with a conventional generator, whereas free-piston Stirling engines typically generate electric power with a linear alternator. In general, Stirling engines have relatively high thermodynamic efficiencies. Because they require only heat, Stirling engines also permit high fuel-flexibility and allow for better control of emissions. However, regardless of these benefits, the IC engine has still become the incumbent prime-mover technology for transportation and stationary power generation applications, while the Stirling engine has yet to reach commercialization. This is likely due to size and weight benefits of the IC engine combined with several other design and operational advantages. Recent interest in distributed generation has sparked a high level of activity in Stirling technology development. Stirling engines are now positioned as a potential competitor to other on-site power generation technologies, particularly the mature IC engine and emerging technologies like microturbines and fuel cells. This report provides a state-of-the-art assessment of Stirling engine technology for DG applications as of June 2002. The results are based on the status of nineteen companies worldwide with plans to develop and/or sell Stirling engine products. Emphasis is placed on technology trends, commercialization status, and economics. Technology Trends Stirling engine technology developments have been directed at a wide range of applications over the last several decades, including vehicle propulsion, gas-fired heat pump drives, aircraft propulsion, auxiliary power, and submarine power generation. The most commonly cited application for Stirling engines under development today is distributed generation for baseload or backup power. This report reveals the following technology- and design-related trends: • Most Stirling companies are developing products for residential combined heat and power (1- 5 kWe) or commercial on-site power generation (25 kWe). • Several developers are focused on niche markets that take advantage of the Stirling engine’s