Solar Powered Stirling

engine for water pumping

By SVONDO TINOTENDA
Introduction
• All around the world the water crisis has been growing due to factors such as Global warming that is
changing rainfall patterns leaving some areas in drought. Poor service delivery by local town councils
causing shortages and leading to queuing at local waterpoints that are hand operated . This has caused
the drilling of boreholes for domestic, commercial farming, and small industry use to upsurge.
Though they are a good solution, the high upfront costs of drilling are a challenge, coupled with the
extra expense of powering the borehole daily can make their installation unattractive.
• Borehole systems have various power sources such as electricity from the grid, electricity from
petrol/diesel generators and photo voltaic solar panels. Each of these sources have certain
disadvantages that lead to a need for a clear need for an affordable renewable energy source to
provide power for borehole water pumps.
• This project’s aim is to build a water pump that is powered by a Stirling engine that is heated by a
Parabolic Solar Dish collector. This system is to take advantage of readily available renewable energy
(solar). It is to generate enough electricity to pump water during the day, with greater efficiency
compared to a photovoltaic panel powered pump. This device will provide the most affordable and
clean energy to power boreholes.
Background
• A solar heated Stirling engine is a type of external combustion engine, which uses the energy
from the solar radiation to convert solar energy to mechanical energy. The resulting
mechanical power is then used to run a generator or alternator to produce electricity. The
general design consists of a Stirling engine mounted on a solar concentrated dish collector
which will reflect radiation to a receiver on the hot side of the Stirling engine
• Stirling engines operate on a closed regenerative thermodynamic cycle. Gas is used as the
working fluid, and undergoes cyclic compression and expansion in separate chambers with
changing volume. In a typical Stirling engine, a fixed amount of gas is sealed within the
engine, and a temperature difference is applied between two piston cylinders. As heat is
applied to the gas in one cylinder, the gas expands and pressure builds. This forces the piston
downwards, performing work. The two pistons are linked so as the hot piston moves down,
the cold piston moves up by an equal distance. This forces the cooler gas to exchange with
the hot gas. The flow passes through the regenerator, where heat is absorbed. Fig. 1 shows the
Stirling cycle operation.
Further analysis of the Stirling cycle will be conducted in the
literature review
Comparing the solar heated Stirling engine with other sources
• For example, the use of on grid electricity to power the pump i s no longer a reliable option as
power cuts due to load shedding and faults along power lines and its rising cost makes it
unsustainable. Recently it was announced that the power outages in Zimbabwe were to persist for
another ten years, (Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe, 2012)
• The instability of fuel prices globally has made generators a less sustainable power source for
pumps. “Between 2003 and 2008 average US prices have more than doubled from $1.77 to $4.10
per gallon, and high prices are expected to continue to increase due to growing international
demand and rising production costs.” (Jackson 2007). The Solar Stirling engine is better as it uses
free renewable solar energy and it runs much quieter compared to the internal combustion engine
in the generator.
• The Solar powered borehole pumps are then the only comparable solution left, but they are more
expensive to install compared to the aforementioned solutions, the PV panels can be easily stollen
(thus it is not secure) and most systems require water storage more than other comparable systems.
Justification
• As the market for borehole water is expanding, new, more affordable, and
environmentally sustainable power sources are needed to accommodate all
levels of income in the country. When compared with existing photovoltaic
systems, the solar powered Stirling engine is a better option as it uses a more
efficient concentrated solar system. It is also cheaper to run compared to
generator-run boreholes and more reliable compared to grid electricity-powered
ones as well. It is then a worthwhile option to research and develop as it is an
environmentally sustainable and relatively cheap power source, compared to the
other alternatives
Problem statement
• The absence of cheap to install and sustainable power sources for
borehole water pumps.
Aim
• To design and fabricate a solar heated Stirling engine
for borehole water pumping
Objectives
• Design and Fabricate a solar heated Stirling engine that powers at least
a 0.5hp water pump
• Design and Fabrication of a cheap solar parabolic dish concentrator
• Providing a cheap and environmentally sustainable energy source for
boreholes especially in remote rural areas
• Reducing demand on the national electrical grid
• To make a working prototype
 Methodology
Literature review
• In this section a review of relevant literature in the field of concentrated solar power and its application
in power generation systems. A study on The Stirling cycle and Stirling engine will be done.
Data collection and Data analysis
• Data is to be collected using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Methods of finding focus point of receiver dish will be compared and a suitable one will be selected.
• Measurement of the focus point of receiver dish will be done and values recorded
• Generation of different Stirling engine designs using AutoCAD software
• Selection of preferred design of model
• Solar collector calculations performed
• Engine calculations performed
Schedule of Activities

TASK September October November December January February March April May
Planning
Research
Design
Implementation