Design and analysis of a dead volume control for a solar Stirling engine with induction generator

In this work, a power generation system dish/Stirling with cavity receiver and an electrical induction generator was simulated. We propose a control system using a variable-dead-volume and analyze its influence on the mechanical performance. A system with a dead volume of 160 cm(3) was designed to control the power and speed of the engine considering annual insolation, mechanical properties of the heater and the limits of frequency and voltage for the systems interconnected to the electricity network. The designed system achieves net efficient solar conversion to electric of 23.38% at an irradiance of 975 W/m(2) and allows an annual increase of 18% of the useful electrical energy compared to a system without control. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.