Mechanical design and first test results of an Ericsson engine

Alejandro FULA a, Luc DANDO b and Pascal STOUFFS c, *

a
LaTEP, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, IUT, Avenue de l’Université, F-64000 Pau, France,
mafula@unal.edu.co
b
Ingénieur conseil, Salbaget, route de Montredon, F-09240 Alzen, France, luc-dando@orange.fr
c
LaTEP, Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour, IUT, Avenue de l’Université, F-64000 Pau, France,
pascal.stouffs@univ-pau.fr

Keywords: Ericsson engine, Joule cycle reciprocating engine, external heat supply engine, hot air engine.

Abstract
The “hot air engines” family includes two subgroups: the Stirling engines, which have no valves, and the Ericsson
engines with valves in order to close the cylinders during the compression or the expansion processes. So, an Ericsson
engine is an external heat supply engine working according to a Joule thermodynamic cycle. It is based on reciprocating
piston-cylinder machines. Such engines are especially interesting for low power solar energy conversion and micro-
CHP from conventional fossil fuels or from biomass.
A prototype has been designed to work with air in open cycle as the working fluid. The nominal pressure ratio is 3 and
the maximum operating temperature is 650 °C. The prototype expansion cylinder capacity is 0.65 dm3. The expansion
cylinder bore is 80 mm, the piston stroke is 129 mm and the maximum rotation speed is 750 rpm. While designing the
prototype, it has been chosen to have a single cylinder with a double-acting piston. The upper face of the piston closes
the expansion space, while the lower face of the piston delimits the compression space. The double-acting piston is
connected to a double contra-rotating crankshaft.
Different innovative solutions have been introduced in the mechanical design of the prototype. The main difficulty in
the design of a high temperature difference Ericsson engine consists in the hot part of the engine with the inlet and
exhaust valves of the expansion cylinder. The technology used to guide the valves rods with a high degree of accuracy,
the method used to cool different parts of the engine and to cope with differential dilatation are reported. Some
preliminary experimental results are presented.

1. Introduction
A special family of thermal engines can be identified from the following features: reciprocating engines, external
heat supply, separate compression and expansion cylinders, regenerator or recuperator, monophasic gaseous working
fluid [1]. These engines are sometimes called ‘hot air engines’ [2], even if the air used in the XIXth century engines has
been replaced by high pressure hydrogen or helium in a lot of modern engines. Hot air engines have known commercial
success during the XIXth century [3], but, since the beginning of the XXth century, they have been discarded and
replaced by internal combustion engines or electric motors. The family of hot air engines is divided in two subgroups:
the Stirling engines, invented in 1816, have no valves (Fig. 1,a) whereas Ericsson engines, invented in 1833 (Fig. 1,b)
have valves in order to isolate the cylinders.
The valves give some advantages to the Ericsson engine [1]. Amongst them, the most important one is that the heat
exchangers are not to be considered as unswept dead volumes whereas the Stirling engine designer is faced to the
difficult compromise between heat exchanger transfer area maximization and heat exchanger volume minimization. The
theoretical Ericsson cycle with two isobaric processes and two isothermal processes is not suited to describe the
Ericsson engine. Indeed, the lack of heat transfer area in the cylinders leads to equip the engine with heat exchangers
outside the cylinders in order to exchange heat with the hot and the cold sources. So the Joule cycle with two isentropic
and two isobaric processes is better suited to describe the Ericsson engine. This cycle is also often used for gas turbines.

*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 5 59 40 71 24; fax: +33 5 59 40 71 25
E-mail address: pascal.stouffs@univ-pau.fr

Copyright © by ISEC International Stirling Engine Committee. All right reserved.

 (a) (b)
Fig. 1 Stirling engine (a) and Ericsson engine (b) principle

Since the pioneer work of the Philips company, around the second world war, the attention has been drawn on
Stirling engines and lots of research and developments have been carried out. However, up to now, not many studies are
dedicated to Ericsson engines. There are some references to internal combustion Ericsson engines [4−5] instead of
external heat supply. The studies dealing specifically with external heat supply Joule cycle reciprocating engines are
limited [6−8]. The studies reporting experimental results are rare [9−10].
Regarding the Ericsson engine modeling, a comparison of the respective advantages and disadvantages of the Joule
cycle Ericsson engine and the Rankine cycle steam engine has been drawn [11] and it has been shown that the operation
of Ericsson engine according to the so-called “humid cycles” is not interesting as soon as heat recovery Joule cycles are
considered [12]. An energy, exergy and cost analysis has demonstrated that the Ericsson engine is suited for micro-
cogeneration applications [13]. A dynamic simulation model shows how the Ericsson engine responds to perturbations
and transients [14] allowing to design an appropriate control system. Finally studies have been devoted to the global
effect of the in-cylinder heat transfer on the energy performance of the Ericsson engine and the interest or no to promote
these transfers [15] or to the modeling of the instantaneous fluid to wall in-cylinder heat transfer [16].

2. The prototype outlines

An Ericsson engine prototype has been originally designed to convert small scale concentrated solar energy into
electricity [17]. This system could also be adapted or hybridized in order to operate with biogas or biomass energy.
While designing the engine different technical choices had to be made. First, for the sake of simplicity, it has been
decided to use air in an open regenerative Joule−Brayton cycle as the working fluid. Figure 2 presents the basic scheme
of the prototype.

Fig. 2 Basic scheme of the Ericsson engine prototype

A cycle with an internal heat recovery exchanger R has been chosen because it is well known that if the recuperator
R effectiveness is large enough such cycles can lead to much higher thermal efficiency than non recuperated cycles,
with very low pressure ratio. It is anticipated that a low pressure ratio together with the atmospheric pressure as
minimum pressure will lead to a technologically simpler engine but at same shaft power, the low pressure engine will
be much larger and heavier than the corresponding non recuperated high pressure and/or pressurized engine. As
stationary applications are considered, this has been considered as a minor inconvenience.
So the expansion cylinder of the prototype has been designed to withstand a maximum pressure of 300 kPa. The
maximum temperature at the heater outlet Th is set to 650 °C as well as for material reason as for affordable heater
temperature in the solar or biomass application considered.
As the pressure ratio is low the net mechanical power produced by the engine, that is the difference between the
mechanical power produced by the expansion cylinder and the mechanical power consumed by the compression
cylinder, is also low compared to the expansion cylinder power. It is thus very important to achieve a very high
mechanical efficiency. That is why a configuration with a single double-acting cylinder has been chosen. The lower
face of the piston makes the compression while the upper face makes the expansion. So the shortest and the most
efficient link is obtained between the device producing and the device consuming the mechanical power and only the
net mechanical power is transferred to the shaft.
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 5 59 40 71 24; fax: +33 5 59 40 71 25
E-mail address: pascal.stouffs@univ-pau.fr

Copyright © by ISEC International Stirling Engine Committee. All right reserved.

 The cylinder bore is 80 mm, while the piston stroke is 129 mm so that the expansion cylinder capacity is 0.65 dm3.
Such a long cylinder is unusual and inappropriate. Actually in a future version the engine will be equipped with a
cylinder with a bore of 257 mm with the same stroke but for the sake of facility a smaller bore has been considered for
this first prototype. The compression cylinder capacity has to be smaller than the expansion cylinder capacity. In the
double-acting cylinder configuration this is achieved by having a large piston rod in the compression room. The
diameter of the rod is 55.8 mm (Fig. 3) so that the actual compression room is a narrow annular space.
In order to avoid radial forces on the cylinder liner a double contra-rotating crankshaft is adopted. Also in order to
avoid any risk in the presence of hot air at 650 °C the Ericsson engine has to operate without any liquid lubrication.
The mechanical power consumed to actuate the valves has to be minimized. For the expansion cylinder classical
poppet valves from the automotive market are used. For the compression cylinder automatic valves can be used.
However automatic valves lead to a higher indicated compression work due to the cylinder super-pressure to open the
outlet valve and the under-pressure to open the inlet valve. It has been thought that the mechanical power consumed to
actuate non automatic valves would be less detrimental from the point of view of energy performance. As it will be
shown later the space between the piston rod and the cylinder liner is too narrow to fit poppet valves in the compression
cylinder head. Oscillating valves are fitted in a lateral room adjacent to the cylinder. Unfortunately this configuration
increases the unswept dead volume of the compression cylinder. Figure 4 is a picture of the actual prototype built
according the previous considerations.

Piston upper face

(expansion space)

Piston lower face

(compression space)

Piston rod

Fig. 3 The double-acting piston Fig. 4 The Ericsson engine prototype

3. Mechanical design
The mechanical design of the Ericsson engine has led to several innovations that have been experimentally
validated. All these innovations are deliberately presented in order to be in the public domain. So the prototype
presented here is a free technology Ericsson engine.
The expansion cylinder valves are one of the most difficult points. Figure 5 shows how they have been realized.
The commercial poppet valves are clipped on a hollow tube extension in which cooling water is allowed to flow.
Thanks to the anti-radiation shields and the cooling water flow, the upper part of the valve casing and valve extension
rod is at ambient temperature while the valve itself is at the maximum temperature of 650 °C. The guidance of the valve
has to be very accurate. A linear ball guidance is used. Figure 6 is a picture of the envelope casing of the valve, the ball
casing and the valve extension tube. The guidance sets of the admission and the exhaust valve are only linked by the
cylinder head so that they are allowed to move according to the dilatation of the spacing of their seats on the cylinder
head. The valves that are guided in the cold part of the casing are thus always centred on their seats in the hot part of the
cylinder.

*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 5 59 40 71 24; fax: +33 5 59 40 71 25
E-mail address: pascal.stouffs@univ-pau.fr

Copyright © by ISEC International Stirling Engine Committee. All right reserved.

 Socket

Hollow rod
Ball
20°C housing
Water flow inlet

Water inlet plunger Clip

Anti-radiation shields Envelope tube

Cylinder head
650°C

Fig. 5 Hot valves of the expansion space Fig. 6 Hot valve ball guidance

The actuation of the valves is achieved by means of cams made up of two superimposed half-cams whose angular
position can be adjusted on the camshaft. By this way the opening angle and duration of the valve can be manually
varied (Fig. 7). This adjustment is not necessary for an engine operating with always the same expansion space inlet
temperature.

Fig. 7 Adjustable cam

The rocking arm is equipped with a roller which is in contact with the cam. On the other side of the rocking arm the
motion is transmitted to the valve rod by means of a blade inserted into grooves made in the arm and in the clip fixed on
the valve rod (Fig. 8). This blade slightly oscillates to compensate the difference between the motion in circular arc of
the rocking arm and the purely linear motion of the valve. The radiuses at the ends of the blade are smaller than the
radius of the grooves so that the blade is allowed to roll without slipping in the grooves (Fig. 9). The radial force
component on the ball guide is negligible and the mechanical losses are negligible too.

Fig. 8 Rocking arm and blade Fig. 9 Blade in the grooves

*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 5 59 40 71 24; fax: +33 5 59 40 71 25
E-mail address: pascal.stouffs@univ-pau.fr

Copyright © by ISEC International Stirling Engine Committee. All right reserved.

 A leak of inlet air at 650 °C and 300 kPa through the ball guide would immediately destroy the ball guide
components. A back pressure of cold air at the inlet pressure is applied on the other side of the ball guide in order to
prevent such a leak. The cam and the inlet rocking arm are enclosed in a pressurized casing and the air tightness is
obtained by mechanical seals on the cam shaft. Air tightness on the valve rod in oscillating linear motion would
probably be less reliable and more detrimental from the point of view of mechanical losses but it could be a possibility.
A water circulation is realized in the piston in order to improve the thermal performance of the cycle and the piston
rings lifetime (Fig. 3 and Fig. 10). This flow is a loop between both piston rings. Flexible loops with rilsan pipes allow
water flow while the piston is in motion. The alternate piston accelerations have no effect on the liquid masses in
motion because the circuit is a closed loop. That is also the case for the water circulation in the valve rods.

Fig. 10 Water circulation in the piston

The low power to cylinder capacity ratio of the Ericsson engine prototype leads to other choices than the usual
internal combustion engine piston rings. Indeed with usual rings the friction losses could be prohibitive and could
prevent the engine from operating. It is of the utmost importance to maximize the mechanical efficiency of the engine.
A mechanical efficiency of 87% has been measured on the prototype [9]. The piston rings are made up of two parts. The
metal core has the function of providing a plating on the cylinder liner by elastic deformation and a polymeric coating
material ensures the sealing friction. Different solutions are possible for the connection between the elastic ring and the
friction ring: gluing, molding, mechanical interlocking by grooving, etc... The junction between both ends of the friction
ring has to maintain air tightness in this flexible zone. It has been realized with a flexible and sticky material. A silicone
sealant polymerized after application has been used (Fig. 11).

flexible and sticky material

Fig. 11 Piston ring

The compression space is located under the piston in the annular space between the cylinder liner and the piston
rod. Both oscillating valves are driven by a set of cam, rocking arm and connecting rod. Large flow areas lead to
negligible pressure losses. A cam is fitted on each crankshaft (Fig. 12).

*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 5 59 40 71 24; fax: +33 5 59 40 71 25
E-mail address: pascal.stouffs@univ-pau.fr

Copyright © by ISEC International Stirling Engine Committee. All right reserved.

 Compression outlet flange

Compression
space inlet flange

Rod
Annular water flow

Rocking arm

Cam

Double contra-
rotating
crankshaft
Oscillating valve

Fig. 12 Compression space oscillating valves and valve driving set

The compression space is located under the piston in the annular space between the cylinder liner and the piston
rod. Both oscillating valves are driven by a set of cam, rocking arm and connecting rod. Large flow areas lead to
negligible pressure losses. A cam is fitted on each crankshaft (Fig. 12).

4. Experimental setup
Figure 13 presents a sketch of the Ericsson engine. In normal engine operation, the air which acts as the working
fluid of the engine is taken from the environment through the filter F. It passes through the flowmeter DEB then enters
the compression space (in cyan). After compression, the air receives heat from the heat recovery “recuperator”
exchanger RST1 and from the electrical heater REH. A buffer tank RST2 is inserted in the circuit before the expansion
space. Afterwards the expanded air gives heat to the compressed air in the recuperator HS before being discharged to
the atmosphere.

Fig. 13 Experimental setup

*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 5 59 40 71 24; fax: +33 5 59 40 71 25
E-mail address: pascal.stouffs@univ-pau.fr

Copyright © by ISEC International Stirling Engine Committee. All right reserved.

 If only the expansion cylinder has to be tested, the valves of the compression space are maintained in open position
and compressed air is delivered from the external compressor COM. It flows first through a dryer DRY (because the
flow meter DEB which can be inserted in this part of the circuit does not withstand humid air) and enters then the
normal compressed air circuit. On the other hand, if only the compression space has to be tested, the valves of the
expansion cylinder are maintained in open position. The engine is driven by the electrical motor ME. Atmospheric air is
taken from the environment through the filter F and the flowmeter DEB. It flows through the compression space and the
recuperator RST1 before being discharged to the atmosphere through the control valve RTV. This valve allows the
compression space back pressure to be controlled. Water which temperature can be controlled in the range between 5 °C
and 95 °C cools or heats the cylinder jacket, the piston rod and the lower side of the piston.
An incremental angular coder AS allows to calculate the instantaneous compression and expansion space volumes.
An optical tachymeter CT is also used to monitor the rotational speed. Six Keller-Druck pressure transducers (ref
PR23S) are installed at the inlet duct (1), at the outlet duct (2) and also in the cylinder head (c) of the expansion and
compression spaces. Together with the angular coder these allow to plot the (p,V) indicated diagram of the expansion
and compression spaces. Different 0.1 mm K type thermocouples are also implemented in several locations of the air or
water circuit.
Besides this usual instrumentation, some fast response temperatures sensors are placed in the expansion and
compression cylinder heads. These sensors are made up of two very thin K thermocouples of 25 µm and 12.5 µm
placed on the same socket (Fig 14). Assuming that the two thermocouples are exposed to the same instantaneous gas
temperature, it is possible to compute this gas temperature by correcting the thermocouples signal in order to take their
thermal inertia into account. These instantaneous temperature measurements are very useful to quantify the heat transfer
importance in the cylinders.

(a) (b)
Fig. 14 Instantaneous temperature sensor: (a) probe; (b) enlargement on the thermocouples

5. Preliminary experimental results

The Ericsson engine prototype is now in a phase of adjustment. Systematic tests are carried out in order to measure
the characteristic (pressure, mass flow rate) curves of the compression and the expansion cylinder. From these results
the correct phasing of the opening and closing of the four valves can be deduced. Fig. 15 presents an example of the
indicated diagram obtained with a specific valve phasing in the compression space and while the prototype is driven by
an external electric motor. Fig. 16 presents an example of the indicated diagram measured in the expansion space, while
the expansion space is fed by compressed air from the external compressor.

Compressor PV indicated diagram Expansion space PV indicated diagram

2.8 3.5

2.6
3
2.4
P Cylinder P Cylinder
2.2 P Exhaust pipe P Inlet pipe
P Inlet pipe 2.5 P Exhaust pipe
Pressure [bar]

Pressure [bar]

1.8 2

1.6
1.5
1.4

1.2
1
1

0.8 0.5
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Volume [m3] x 10
-4 Volume [m3] x 10
-4

Fig. 15 Compression space indicated diagram Fig. 16 Expansion space indicated diagram

Copyright © 2014 by ISEC International Stirling Engine Committee. All right reserved.
 Figure 16 presents an example of the instantaneous temperature measurement by one of the sensor in the
compression cylinder head. The green curve correspond to the thinner thermocouple of 12.5 µm while the cyan line
whose amplitude is lower due to the thermal inertia of the thicker wire is the temperature registered by the 25 µm
thermocouple.

Compression space temperature (TDC = 0°)

90
TK1 Compressor wall (up)
TK2 Comp. wall cooling water
80 TK3 Rod inlet cooling water
TK4 Ambient temperature
70 TK5 In cylinder air (25µm )
TK6 In cylinder air (12µm )
60 TK7 Inlet pipe air
Temperature [°C]

TK8 Outlet pipe air

50

40

30

20

10

0
0 45 90 135 180 225 270 315 360
Crankshaft angle [°]

Fig. 16 Example of measurement registered by one of the instantaneous temperature sensor in the
compression space

6. Conclusions
A prototype of Ericsson engine has been designed and built. It is now in a phase of test. The engine is designed to
operate with air in open cycle as the working fluid. The maximum temperature is 650 °C. As heat recovery is
considered the pressure ratio is low and the maximum pressure at the expansion cylinder inlet is 300 kPa.
The technological choices that led to the prototype design are presented and justified and some free technology
innovations are illustrated. The experimental setup is presented together with some examples of measurements. The
Ericsson engine prototype is now in a phase of adjustment before an extensive test campaign.

Acknowledgement
The design and the building of the prototype have been made possible thanks to a partnership with France Télécom,
and grants from the Energy Program of the French ‘Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)’ and from the
SEED Program of the French ‘Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)’.

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