The use of Stirling engines in combined cycle power plants

Some novel ways to use a Stirling engine in connection with other energy conversion systems are presented and discussed. In particular, various arrangements in which a Stirling cycle is combined with other traditional cycles (diesel, Rankine, Brayton) are considered. The thermodynamic advantage arising from such cycle combinations is analytically investigated as a function of the most relevant parameters. The results obtained are discussed, taking into account the main technological problems involved in the proposed schemes