There was no physical work done on the engine today as I am still waiting on Pat Kelly to deliver the desk to the test cell. Nonetheless I spent a good portion of the day studying some more documentation. I managed to read through two theses from the University of Toronto, both which were based on using the Whispergen PPS16 unit. While the core focus of both papers was not relevant there was still a good deal of useful experimental and hardware related information.
Efficiency and Emissions study of a Redisdential Micro-Cogeneration System Based on a Stirling Engine and Fuelled by Diesel and Ethanol - Nicolas Farra (Master's Thesis)
Performance Analysis of a Stirling Engine Fuelled by Diesel and Ethanol and Transition to Bio-oil - Charles Habbaky and Adrian Boangiu (BSc Thesis)
I also discovered another interesting piece of market intelligence (conducted by PikeResearch) but sadly it is not publicly available. I intend on doing another trawl on the web using new keywords to see if there are any more recent market/technology intelligence reports related to Stirling cycle combined heat and power technology.
The report:
Information on PikeResearch (from their website):
Pike Research, a part of Navigant Consulting's global Energy Practice, is a market research and consulting team that provides in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The team's research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research and demand assessment, and deep examination of technology trends to provide a comprehensive view of these industry sectors.
Emerging technology markets are inherently rife with uncertainty and risk. Pike Research provides its clients with market intelligence designed to clarify investment and expansion opportunities for industry participants. Applications for the group's research and analysis include:
- Market sizing and forecasting
- Market segmentation by geography, technology, customer type, end-user market, etc.
- Analyzing the structure of emerging value chains
- Insights on the timing of key market and technology transitions
- Competitive intelligence
- Assessing market demand for new products and assisting with go-to-market strategies
- Providing inputs for business planning, budgeting, and forecasting
- Benchmarking companies within the competitive environment
An interesting site that I came across that I need to investigate more thoroughly:
In addition to reading the theses I decided to email many of the major Stirling engine manufacturers requesting information and advice in relation finding out the current state of the industry. Due to the difficulty in accessing up to date market intelligence (they are all secured behind immense paywalls) this was the only remaining course of action. I do not expect much from this but it was worth a try.
Companies contacted:
- Sunpower
- Microgen
- Infinia
- Stirling BioPower
- Efficient Home Energy (Whispertech successor)
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