This testing area is primarily configured to establish the overall performance of a heat-powered engine, including its efficiency, power output, and reliability. To date, research has been conducted both on externally heated Stirling, organic Rankine, and steam Rankine engines and on the devices that generate the thermal input to these engines. Test Cell 2 Test Cell 2 is currently set up to test bench-scale solar receivers, which are devices that absorb the concentrated solar energy from the sun and transfer it to a heat engine. In the testing area, the solar input is simulated by quartz lamp banks and their associated power control systems.
Power is absorbed using gas-gap calorimeters.
For these operations, portable heat trace and heat-trace control systems are available, as are portable vacuum systems and residual gas analyzers. The Engine Test Facility offers a well-equipped control room for personnel to monitor tests. The HP3852 DAS is controlled by a personal computer with LabView software. Additional personal computers are also available for data reduction and other applications. Color video cameras are provided to capture the tests on film.