Search found 3299 matches

by Tom Booth
Sun Jul 08, 2018 7:53 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

I can't imagine turning some old frying pans into a Stirling Engine without some kind of machine shop.
by Tom Booth
Sun Jul 08, 2018 1:36 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

Ian S C wrote:The one way to see if it actually works is to build it, and try it out.
Ian S C
Very True.

I like the engine you posted earlier:

Image

I was wondering what it cost to build. Including time, material and any necessary workshop equipment etc.
by Tom Booth
Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:22 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

The reason these must be regenerative displacers and not just displacers is that the Vuilleumier cooling effect is completeley dependent on regenerating displacers. https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/14/c6/4e/3ae311b6cbee54/US1275507.pdf The patent is extremely interesting. Not only in rega...
by Tom Booth
Thu Jul 05, 2018 2:25 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

Is that a double displacer there? and 180 degrees out of phase with each other? Sorry for the crude drawing. The probable timing I've worked out as a starting point looks like this: http://calypso53.com/stirling/phase.jpg Also, the connections are adjusted so that the dispalcers (regenerators) just...
by Tom Booth
Mon Jan 22, 2018 5:30 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

Ian S C wrote:I only have one thing to say on this type of technology, build it, and demonstrate the proof.
Ian S C
I've gotten as far as some drawings and ordering parts. It may look something like this:

Image
by Tom Booth
Sat Jan 13, 2018 9:29 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

Wellington wrote:
Tom Booth wrote:According to an article by......

hello tom. can you provide a link to the material you reference. thanks.

http://www.unz.org/Pub/Century-1900jun-00175

The relevant sections start around page 200:

"A DEPARTURE PROM KNOWN METHODS—POS-SIBILITY OF A "SELF-ACTING" ENGINE..."
by Tom Booth
Fri Jan 12, 2018 4:38 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

I think the question hinges on what actually goes on in the inner workings of a heat engine. The predominant view had always been and to a great extent still is: for a heat engine to operate heat entering the engine must pass through the engine and out the other side, much like water passing through...
by Tom Booth
Mon Jan 08, 2018 7:20 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

I thought I might mention something I've been working on recently and am also curious to know if anyone else here has ever heard of it or done anything with it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuilleumier_cycle This "heat pump" is quite interesting. I think the patent is quite facinating a...
by Tom Booth
Sun Aug 20, 2017 10:00 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

Removing heat from the ice is really not a correct statement. If you study how a heat pump or refrigerating system actually works, it is more like the heat is removed during compression of the gas refrigerant. In those days refrigeration was accomplished by compressing air. The old "Cold Air Ma...
by Tom Booth
Sun Aug 20, 2017 9:43 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

Tom I have run my LTD motor on ice, the ambient temperature was 20*C, so there was a 20* (a little less) temperature differential. The but is the amount of energy required to make the ice. You certainly make a valid point. Energy is required to make ice in the first place of course. As quoted above...
by Tom Booth
Fri Aug 18, 2017 7:08 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

OK, so lets say you CAN get a Stirling engine to run on ice with NO or VERY LITTLE waste heat reaching the cold side of the engine. I'm theorizing that a Stirling can possibly be designed in a way where it might not contribute much if any heat to melting the ice,.. might even contribute to keeping t...
by Tom Booth
Fri Aug 18, 2017 2:07 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

Here is why I think this can possibly work. Take a lamina flow type Stirling. Lets say at point "a" of the cycle, air in the cylinder is expanding and pushing the piston out. At some point pressure inside the cylinder and atmospheric pressure outside the cylinder will equalize. But the pis...
by Tom Booth
Fri Aug 18, 2017 1:40 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 182120

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

I think this is a significant update. I submitted the idea discussed here in this forum to a recent National Geographic Magazine contest. It got through the initial screening process. I've purchased a metal lathe, drill press and other tools and just recently got lucky in finding a place where I can...
by Tom Booth
Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:09 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's Heat Engine
Replies: 19
Views: 18662

Re: Tesla's Heat Engine

This pdf describes air-cycle refrigeration.

http://www.grimsby.ac.uk/documents/frpe ... search.pdf
by Tom Booth
Sun Oct 16, 2016 2:57 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's Heat Engine
Replies: 19
Views: 18662

Re: Tesla's Heat Engine

Sounds to me like you are talking about a variation on what is currently known as an "Air Source Heat Pump" I can't say I understand it well enough though, to do the maths to check whether it is theoretically possible or not. Well.. I think "air source" just refers to where the ...