The objective of this article is to develop a combined thermodynamic and dynamic model for alpha-type Stirling engine with Ross Yoke mechanism. Thermal, pumping, and regeneration loses are considered in developing the thermodynamic model. Two methods for solving the governing equations are proposed. In both solution schemes, the gas forces exerted in compression and expansion chamber are obtained from the instantaneous gas pressure determined from the thermodynamic model. The proposed model is validated against experimental available data. A model validation is carried out. A parametric study is used to investigate the effect of geometric and operation parameters on the engine performance. The effect of regenerator effectiveness, the dead volume ratio, and the heat source temperature, and the swept volume ratio at the maximum of the engine performance are evaluated. Furthermore, deriving and presenting the governing equations allows for rigorous optimization analysis in order to find the optimal combination of the major variables. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.