  In order to study further the promising free piston Stirling engine
architecture, there is a need of an analytical thermodynamic model which could
be used in a dynamical analysis for preliminary design. To aim at more
realistic values, the models have to take into account the heat losses and
irreversibilities on the engine. An analytical model which encompasses the
critical flaws of the regenerator and furthermore the heat exchangers
effectivenesses has been developed. This model has been validated using the
whole range of the experimental data available from the General Motor GPU-3
Stirling engine prototype. The effects of the technological and operating
parameters on Stirling engine performance have been investigated. In addition
to the regenerator influence, the effect of the cooler effectiveness is
underlined.
