STUDY ON A STIRLING CYCLE MACHINE OF 100W DESIGN CAPACITY
This Stirling refrigerator only imparts a light load to the global environment because it does not use fluorocarbon gas refrigerants. Additionally, it can be said that its theoretical efficiency is identical to that of the Carnot, with this refrigerator being a sustainable refrigerating system. To put the Stirling refrigerator into practical use at room temperature, a smaller sizing, higher durability and higher efficiency are essential. The authors have designed and developed a 100 W class Stirling refrigerator for household use. And the operating characteristics of the machine have been evaluated. In addition, to investigate the possibility of the practical application of Stirling refrigerators to household use, we have designed and fabricated on an experimental basis a 4th prototype Stirling refrigerator which uses a sealed oil-lubrication mechanical section, and we are currently evaluating its performance. As a result, the operational characteristics of the Stirling cycle machine have been clarified with respect to design factors. These results demonstrate that the Stirling cycle machine is one of the promising candidates as a new refrigeration system or a new generation system.