This has been achieved in four major steps: identification of a suitable engine
type; thermodynamic optimisation of operating and engine parameters; optimisation
of mechanical efficiency; and the development of conceptual designs for the
engine and its components informed by the preceding analysis. For the optimisation
of engine and operating parameters a model was set up in the commercial
Stirling software package, Sage, which also has been validated in this thesis; suitable
parameter combinations have been identified.