DiegoTom

"Phase I Results from the Stirling Powered Vehicle Project funded by NASA Ten months of operation were with Air Force personnel at Langley Air Force Base. VA, where over 1100 hr and 4000 mi were logged on the Langley flight line. The Stirling-powered van was operated on unleaded gasoline. JP-4 aircraft fuel, and diesel fuel at Langley Air Force Base. Two months of operation were completed with Deere & Company personnel in the Moline. IL area where over 175 hr and 2650 mi were logged on a Deere mail delivery route. The Air Force provided a 1986 General Motors (GM) multistop (delivery) van (Fig. 1) powered by a standard 6.2-L (379-in3) V-8, diesel engine (145 hp (108.8 kW) at 3600 rpm). Curb weight of this vehicle is 6800 lb (2677 kg), with a maximum gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 8600 lb (3386 kg). Engine specifications and a power and torque curve are shown in Table 1 and Fig. 2. When the GM multistop van arrived at MTI, it was driven approximately 1100 mi to break in the drivetrain to ensure that the vehicle was sound. After the vehicle break-in was completed, the diesel engine was removed and a Mod I Stirling engine mockup was installed to determine what modifications would be required. The only major alteration required was a cutout in the front crossmember. This modification was needed so that the engine and transmission could be properly installed and aligned. Oil samples were taken 10 times during the one-year evaluation period and sent to Deere & Company for detailed analysis. No degradation of the oil was noted and Air Force operators and maintenance personnel observed that the oil appeared to be in "like new" or "virgin" condition. Fuel economv for the Stirling- powered van was reported bv the Air Force to be 6.3 mpg with all fuels used during the 10-month evaluation period. Fuel economy numbers include fuel usage for both the gas-fired, front window defogger and the rear-compartment heating system. This compares with an average of 4.3 mpg for four gasoline-powered vans and 8.1 mpg for nine diesel-powered vans used at Langley in similar missions during the same period. The 75-hp automotive Stirling engine, although underpowered for the Air Force multistop, has demonstrated that it has the potential to be a viable multifuel engine for lightduty trucks and vans of the future. As of January 1988. seven experimental. first-generation. Mod I automotive Stirling engines CASE'S) were built and operated in test cells and vehicles for over 18 000 hr." http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19880018596.pdf