A KINEMATIC DRIVE STIRLING CYCLE REFRIGERATION

A DOMESTIC REFRIGERATION SYSTEM BASED ON THE STIRLING CYCLE,USING NO OZONE- DEPLETING MATERIALS IS BEING DEVELOPED. THEOBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP A LONG LIFE MAINTENANCE-FREE MACHINE THAT PROVIDES COOLING POWER AND OPERATING TEMPERATURES COMPARABLE TO EXISTING COMMERCIAL DOMESTIC REFRIGERATORS. THE STIRLING CYCLE REFRIGERATION SYSTEM (SCRS) COMBINES THE PROVEN TECHNOLOGY OF A KINEMATIC DRIVE AND THE INNOVATIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF A STIRLING CYCLE REFRIGERATOR. KEY ISSUES BEING ADDRESSED ARE (1) DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH EFFICIENCY STIRLING CYCLE REFRIGERATION SYSTEM OPERATING OVER THE REQUIRED TEMPERATURERANGE, (2) IMPLEMENTATION OF A METAL BELLOWS FOR LONG LIFE DYNAMIC SEALS, (3) DEVELOPMENT OF AN EFFICIENT LOW TEMPERATURE HEAT TRANSPORT SYSTEM TO MOVE THERMAL ENERGY FROM THE REFRIGERATED SPACE TO SCRS, (4) DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE CYCLE WASTE HEAT REJECTION SYSTEM TO REMOVEWASTE HEAT FROM THE WARM END OF THE STIRLING CYCLE TO AMBIENT HOUSEHOLD AIR, AND (5) CAREFUL INTEGRATION OF THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS TO PRODUCE AN EFFICIENT, COST EFFECTIVE, RELIABLE REFRIGERATION UNIT. THIS PROJECT'S PHASE I OBJECTIVES ARE TO DEVELOP AN OVER-ALL SCRS CONCEPTUAL DESIGN, TO CARRY OUT AN EVALUATION OF THE SCRS PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OVER A RANGE OF SIZES AND CAPACITIES, AND TODEVELOP A BASIC LAYOUT DESCRIBING THE PROPOSED PROOF-OF-PRINCIPLE PROTOTYPE MACHINE. PHASE II OBJECTIVES ARE TO COMPLETE THE DETAIL DESIGN, AND THEN TO FABRICATE, ASSEMBLE, TEST, AND EVALUATE THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PROTOTYPE SCRS.