Stirlingengineforum.com

I think you are getting overly caught up with the theory of work. Yes, doing work converts heat-energy into kinetic-energy, however generally speaking such processes live in the 20% - 50% efficiency range, so the remaining heat-energy must be removed from the system, or it will become impossible for...

"I removed the regenerator and replaced it with a heat exchanger."

I missed that little gem the first time - what does it mean, since the whole point of a regenerator is that it is a specific type of heat exchanger already?

Jess, I think you will find that the loops of piping for a ground-source-heat-pump is measured in hundreds of metres, not a few feet!!

@Tom - I'm not intending to discourage research into Hydrogen (or any research at all!), rather I am trying to encourage research into other options. For me, both methane and methanol are "clean enough" when burned, though methanol also seems to be usable in fuel-cells, where again it appe...

@Tom - I assume from that diagram that each of the pistons is linked together via a crankshaft, so diaphragms wouldn't work, but I may be wrong. Jumping back several steps, I thought that sharkskin worked similarly to the 'step' on a flying boat hull, but sounds like I'm wrong, or at least over-simp...

I'm not 100% sure I understand where you think that this "shark skin" would be beneficial - but if it is for the regenerator, then it seems to me that you will make things worse! The basic design of a regenerator needs to be a compromise - you want to maximise surface area in order to maxi...

Tom - the downsides to Hydrogen include: It has a very low energy density. It is incredibly difficult to store. It is currently very difficult to produce economically - hydrolysis is easy, but not efficient. It is very dangerous when a leak occurs. Leaks always occur, because gaseous hydrogen can pa...

I always recommend people look at using Methanol as a fuel - carbon-neutral if made the right way; pretty easy to handle; pretty easy to burn; very clean to burn - probably the cleanest hydro-carbon around, and even capable of being used with fuel-cells, if I may digress a little!

Hydrogen is a REALLY rubbish fuel, unless you are building a rocket - and even then its not nearly as nice as you might think.

If it is 'whitish' then clearly not soot, so what is it actually? Work that out and you'll be a bit closer to knowing how to clean it. In other words, what impurities are you dealing with - Meths has something in it to make it poisonous and give it colour.

Nikhill - the calculation Bumpkin is suggesting uses a ratio at its core, so the units do not matter.

Looking good so far. Particularly nice to see a proper electrical socket in the background!

Sounds like an interesting project. I think the general issue with Stirling engines at the moment is three-fold: 1) Bulkier than internal combustion engines. 2) Very little demand for engines driven by solid fuel. 3) Lack of investment, leading to lower relative efficiency than internal combustion e...

Momentum. That is why a fly-wheel is part of every Stirling design.

I can't find any reference to "Bailey Linkages" online, and have never heard of them before - any chance of an explanation/link?