Feasibility Study of a Diesel-Fueled Micro-Cogeneration System Integrated with Military Experimental Mobile Kitchens

Stirling Technology Company proposes to perform a feasibility study of aMicro-Cogeneration System based on a proven free-piston Stirling engine toprovide quiet, efficient and reliable electricity and thermal energy foradvanced military field kitchens thatuse Centralized Thermal Fluid Heatertechnology. Diesel fuel will be combusted in a radiant matrix burner to provideheat for the Stirling engine. Waste heat from the engine will be used to heatwater while the burner exhaust provides heat for the thermalfluid heater. Thesystem will provide up to 3 kW of electricity and 100 kW of heat at efficiencieswell above 75%. The design of the system will incorporate an existing Stirlingcycle engine and leverage heavily from natural gas fired cogeneration andboilersystems already developed for European homes. A conceptual design will bedeveloped to address any foreseeable integration issues, and the feasibility ofa diesel-fired radiant matrix burner will be demonstrated in the Phase I project.Introducing theStirling Micro-Cogeneration System (SMCS) into the RapidDeployment Kitchen will have several benefits. First, the SMCS will eliminatethe need for noisy, dirty, high-maintenance and inefficient internal combustion(IC) generators to supply electricity forthe field kitchen. The SMCS can beintegrated directly into the kitchen's Central Thermal Fluid Heater System (CTFH)to provide electricity and thermal energy internally. The SMCS will alsodramatically improve the efficiency of the kitchen by reducing thewasted heatfrom 27.5 kW to less than 15 kW. The reduction in waste heat provides a moresafe and comfortable working environment for the kitchen staff. With the coolingfan as the loudest component, the Stirling cycle generator operates in virtualsilence sothe introduction of the SMCS will not add any audible noise to thenormal operation of the kitchen Without the need for lubricating oil orperiodic maintenance of any kind, the RG-3000 is very clean and easy to operateonce installed, with no harmful orunsanitary fluids to dispose of. Themaintenance-free, useful life of a Stirling generator typically far exceedsthe total operating life of even a well-maintained IC engine. The inherent longlife of the Stirling cycle generator, combined with superior fuelefficiencymakes the Stirling more cost effective to operate than an IC generator. TheRG-3000 is clearly preferable to IC engine generators for providing heat andpower cogeneration in, not only kitchens and laundries, but in many types offield logisticalequipment. Following development for military applications,this technology will be viable for use in commercial mobile kitchens, laundriesand for use in rural and off-grid homes.