The Stirling Engine
Angela Hon
Jared Williams
Pete Mazzarella
Richard Gray
~History~
The Stirling Engine, originally known as the Economiser, was patented
by Rev. Robert Stirling in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1816.
The “Economiser” was originally developed as a safer alternative to
steam engines; however, when steam engines were redesigned to be
safer, Stirling engines became nearly obsolete.
This simple engine can run on a variety of fuel sources, including
flames, decaying vegetation, and even the heat of your hand.
The Stirling Engine has a work output far closer to the theoretical ideal
efficiency than most engines.
Despite high efficiency and availability of fuel sources, the Stirling
engine has always taken a back seat to more popular designs such as
steam engines and internal combustion engines.
The Stirling
Cycle
COOLING:
EXPANSION:
CONTRACTION:
HEATING:
The
The
left
Heat
right
piston
The
is
moves
added
piston
piston
up
to
moves
in
while
the
the
gas
up
cooled
the
inside
while
right
piston
cylinder
the
the hot
left
moves
(right)
cylinder
piston
down.
starts
moves
(left),
This
to
down.
pushes
compress
causing
This
thethe
pressure
forces
hotgas.
gas
the
Heat
into
togas
the
into
cooled
build.
generated
the heated
Air
cylinder,
expands,
bycylinder,
this
which
quickly
compression
where
forcing
cools
it the
quickly
is
piston
the
removed
gas
heats
toto
up,
the
move
by building
the
temperature
down.
cooling
pressure,
This
source.
of
is the
the
at
cooling
part
which
of the
source,
point
Stirling
the
lowering
cycle
cycle
its that
pressure.
does
repeats.
the
Thiswork.
makes
it easier to compress the
gas in the next part of the
cycle.
Diagram taken from: http://electron9.phys. utk.edu/phys136d/modules/m3/m3ex1.htm
TSE-03 from
http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp
Our revised model
Stirling Engine
OUR DESIGN
CHANGES
Changed design from metric to
english, including bolts and
holes
Adjusted sizes of cylinders,
pistons, heater, and holes in
cylinder cover
Redesigned pistons to make
them solid and add o-ring
groove.
Changed materials for pistons
and cylinders
Added o-rings for sealing
pistons into cylinders
Resources
http://www.stirlingengine.com/
Link to the American Stirling Company,
manufacturers of commercial and model Stirling
Engines
http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/%7Ekhirata/english/mk_t03.htm
Where we got our basic design
http://travel.howstuffworks.com/stirling-engine.htm
Howstuffworks- an excellent resource for
understanding the Stirling Cycle
http://web.vtc.edu/MEC/1012/Spr04_Group_Projects/Pirates/Web%20
Pages/Group%20Webpage.html
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