Stirlingengineforum.com

To reference myself; "My reasoning is, if heat flows from hot to cold and the output temperature is identical to the cold side of the engine (T min. the temperature of the ice) then the resulting heat exchange with the ice would be zero." That, in reference to a Stirling engine running on ...

Someone can "calculate" without necessarily using math. Like, in carpentry, it is almost always easier (and more accurate) to mark a board with a pencil by just holding it up where it needs to go and making a line. A long time ago someone in this forum advised using the same sort of method...

"The exact same analogy applies to any device (water turbine or windmill) that converts kinetic energy (EK) into useful work and vice versa" IMO this is not really true at all. A mass flow, such as water down a waterfall or wind across the plain is not anything like the random molecular mo...

Probably the easiest way to understand how a regenerator works is to start with an ordinary displacer. The displacer forces air from the hot to cold side of the engine and back. If, instead of a solid displacer, holes were drilled through the displacer and the holes stuffed with steel wool, now the ...

Some additional examples:

https://youtu.be/HUWt3YrxoB4

https://youtu.be/bOL6QVnQQzc

"Hot cylinder is heated and the air inside is expanded and it pushes the piston forward..." "Momentum. That is why a fly-wheel is part of every Stirling design." I've concluded, after studying the operation of many Stirling engines over the years, that that is not all there is to...

My understanding is that the 92.5% of "un-utilized" heat represents the heat from ice temperature down to 0°K absolute zero. That heat below the cold temperature side of the engine, colder than ice, down to 0°K cannot be converted to "work" by the engine. But does that mean all t...

"And in the case of "Heat engine on ice", this case is also possible if you connect "hot expansion" at ice temperature Tmax = 273°K adiabatically with "cold compression" at say Tmin = 200°K..." I"m a bit confused. A Stirling "running on ice" wou...

"After my "meltdown" I opened up the displacer to check the state of the displacer and I was surprised to see that it was as good as new." Thanks. That does seem rather remarkable, that an engine hot enough to melt solder, nevertheless, did not burn or char the balsa wood displac...

The steel wool displacer can be seen near to the end of this video:

https://youtu.be/SroPkkqsE8U

This tin can engine seems to be quite powerful for the size and construction. I think it is mentioned in this video that the "displacer" is made of steel wool (technically, I would call that a regenerator, or regenerative displacer). At any rate, additional videos show the assembly and inn...

As far as I've been able to discover (correct me if I'm wrong) Stirling engines of this type had solid (or sealed hollow) metal displacers. (See image). I'm inclined to believe, however, that an engine of this general design might benefit by substituting a regenerator material in place of an ordinar...

I've read through the account, I don't think you've mentioned, so I'm curious, what do you use for a displacer in your engines? A "can" (solid or hollow displacer) or something porous like steel wool (regenerator).

Very nice work!

This is the first I've heard of it. Very interesting. Thanks!

Just a brief update. Progress on the engine has been slow, and completely stalled, with the world gone mad as of late, but as things appear to be gradually returning to some semblance of normalcy, my plans are to spend more time on this experiment. The rigid foam displacers have been shaped to fit, ...