Stirlingengineforum.com

Thanks for the reply. I do agree, that a more traditional Gamma (to be comparable, perhaps a twin Gamma with vertical displacers?) would be more powerful. Plus, I have an emergency back-up solar PV panel stored a just a few feet from me at this very moment. Rotary displacers seem like they would be ...

I've been reading about hot air engines for years, they are quite fascinating. So far, I've never taken that final step into building one yet. Although...I am closing in on a design that I feel might be worth actually trying out. I scan google and youtube about once a year to see if anything new has...

I studied the Rider-Ericsson engine a while back. It is an alpha with two vertical / parallel cylinders, and the crankshaft is at the top of the engine. The crank side of the pistons are open to the ambient air. It had an integral air-pump which could be adjusted to compress air at any degree of the...

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is very similar to steam cycle, but it uses a lower-temperature phase-change fluid, like freon, butane, toluene. Another interesting technology that may prove useful in a hybrid system is a "fluidyne", this is where a changing gas pressure (provided by a Gamma?)...

Sometimes, when researching what others have made in the past (some of them well-done by engineers), it helps to have a name to start the search with. Google is handy, but here's a list I made to help me find stuff that I know I have looked at before. Feel free to post a significant model you've rec...

I know asbestos is unfashionable, but if you don't breathe in the tiny fibers, it works well. Mica is starting to look good. I'm assuming I'll be making the displacer cylinder out of aluminum, and the displacer itself out of thin stainless steel. I just need something to thermally isolate the hot en...

Thanks, Jan.

I will keep this in mind. I know the space shuttle has insulating tiles that are replaced every trip, so the old ones are sold to tourists very cheap, but they would be awkward to cut and use.

I may just put an engine together, and then add the insulating gasket later.

I read a post that indicated when a running Gamma had its displacer cylinder made thinner by machining, and it reduced the heat flowing over to the cooler side. After this, the hot side was hotter, and the cool side stayed cooler, leading to a more powerful engine. (I also plan on using the flywheel...

I am contemplating the problems with using helium as the medium in a Stirling to see if its worth the trouble. I believe the displacer can be moved with external magnets, so there will be no possible shaft seal leakage from the displacer cylinder. This leaves the power-piston rings and the power pis...

I believe it may be possible to design a large Stirling that can use solar power from a large dish or parabolic troughs, and a fan-cooled cold end with a water mister. I think it could power a small generator to charge a battery, pump water, or run a small mechanical air-conditioning unit. Steam req...

SScandizzo, the force of the piston is PSI X square inches of area of the piston face. In a double acting cylinder, the cross-section of the rod takes up a small amount of area. So, when retracting it will have slightly less power than extending. The Stanley steam car had two double acting cylinders...

I agree with everything Stephan has said, and I would like to add one more thing. The power-piston ring-seal is dynamic, and must seal while sliding in the cylinder. The way to get more power from the same size of engine is to go to higher pressures, but leakage past the power piston seals results i...

Sorry, jesterthought, I hadn't read your post yet. Two separate guys independently invented the telephone at the same time. Bell patented it first, can't remember the name of the other guy. He probably was headed out to the patent office before Bell, but first he had to drive his wife to the store i...

I recall a patent about 100 years old using oval gears to increase dwell time of a double acting steam piston. I Googled "oval gears' and one link looked useful: http://decidedlyodd.com/cw/cs285/log.html As for camming, I would start the first prototype with a vertical displacer (for visualizat...

Stirlings are safer than steam engines, and were invented because of steam boiler explosions in the early days. The problem is that that at a lower pressure, you must have a bigger engine to achieve the same power. Dustin made a 2-1/2 HP Gamma Stirling, which is roughly equal to the power of a gasol...