A VUILLEUMIER HEAT PUMP DEMONSTRATOR (VHPD)

IN THIS PROJECT, A VUILLEUMIER HEAT PUMP DEMONSTRATOR (VHPD)THAT USES NO OZONE-DEPLETING MATERIALS AND HAS A SEASONAL EFFICIENCY COMPETITIVE WITH COMPARABLE CHLOROFLUOROCARBON (CFC) RANKINE HEAT PUMP TECHNOLOGIES IS BEING DEVELOPED. VHPD WILL MAKE USE OF THE PROVEN LONG-LIFE TECHNOLOGIES OF AN EXISTING KINEMATIC DRIVE MECHANISM AND AN INNOVATIVE METAL BELLOWS. THE BELLOWS SEALS THE CYCLE WORKING FLUID FROM THE OIL-LADEN GAS OF THE CRANKCASE. THE SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION OF HERMETIC-WELDED BELLOWS SEALS TO STIRLING CYCLE MACHINES HAS SOLVED THE FUNDAMENTALLY LIFE-LIMITING SLIDING SEAL PROBLEM EXHIBITED BY VIRTUALLY ALL STIRLING MACHINES TO DATE. PHASE I AIMS TO ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES: 1) DEVELOPMENT OF A THERMODYNAMICALLY OPTIMIZED PROOF-OF-CONCEPT RESIDENTIAL VUILLEUMIER HEAT PUMP DESIGN, WITH A COOLING CAPACITY OF 3.5 TO 7 KW AT 95 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AND A COMBINED COOLING AND HEATING COEFFICIENT OF PERFORMANCE (COP) COMPETITIVE WITH COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE RANKINE HEAT PUMPS; (2) MODIFICATION OF AN EXISTING STIRLING CYCLE ANALYSIS CODE TO MODEL THE VUILLEUMIER CYCLE, TO ENABLE IN-DEPTH THERMODYNAMIC MODELINGAND OPTIMIZATION; (3) ANALYTICAL PREDICTIONS OF HOW COP AND LOSS MECHANISMS ARE AFFECTED BY HEAT EXCHANGER AND REGENERATOR TECHNOLOGIES, STROKE FREQUENCY LIMITATIONS OF WELDED METAL BELLOWS, AND HEATER HEAD MATERIAL; AND (4) A PERFORMANCE MAP OF VHPD OVER A REALISTIC TEMPERATURE RANGE.