How you can build an easy free piston Stirling engine?

Discussion on Stirling or "hot air" engines (all types)
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bladeattila
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2013 10:31 pm
Location: Budapest, Hungary

How you can build an easy free piston Stirling engine?

Post by bladeattila »

Hi folks!
I finished my series of my DIY free piston engine videos on youtube.
Here I have 3 videos to build step by step a beer can free piston engine:
1.
[BBvideo 425,350]http://youtu.be/k6UqND_E0pA[/BBvideo]
2.
[BBvideo 425,350]http://youtu.be/4C2HvFj_P4U[/BBvideo]
3.
[BBvideo 425,350]http://youtu.be/0OX3TCe-1sI[/BBvideo]

I also have some other experiments with free piston engines:

High frequency beer can free piston engine with accordion power piston:
[BBvideo 425,350]http://youtu.be/LmtpebvQiMk[/BBvideo]

Powerful Big Free Piston Stirling Engine:
[BBvideo 425,350]http://youtu.be/ZbYihmZnN9A[/BBvideo]

And the last one an inside view, unassembled parts of my BFPSE:
[BBvideo 425,350]http://youtu.be/rlKGNz-FUQI[/BBvideo]

I hope you enjoy these videos!

Greetings from Hungary!
BLADE
The flames of ignorance doesn't hurt when you burn.
Triangle.Stirling
Posts: 133
Joined: Mon Sep 09, 2013 8:29 am

Re: How you can build an easy free piston Stirling engine?

Post by Triangle.Stirling »

Hi,

I already saw your Free-piston tutorials, they're very nice and clear! When i have time, i'm definitely going to build one, but there are more things on the list to do, so probably it'll be some time before the build starts.

Thank you for sharing such awesome video's!
bladeattila
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2013 10:31 pm
Location: Budapest, Hungary

Re: How you can build an easy free piston Stirling engine?

Post by bladeattila »

Thanks very much! But don't worry about the part list! You can subtitute some parts.
If you have time to check my other videos, you will see my other solutions...so simple things, as my NASA "developing" step by step video, where I used only cyanoacrylate glue for everything...but shure these are not for a long time, only for experiments! :)
The flames of ignorance doesn't hurt when you burn.
Ian S C
Posts: 2218
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 5:15 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: How you can build an easy free piston Stirling engine?

Post by Ian S C »

Blade, I must get to work and get a photo of my free piston motor. I made my first largely unsuccessful motor as a BETTA type, but as I was using wire springs under the piston, and the displacer, it was a bit difficult the way I built it. Also it had a magnet on the piston to work as a linear alternator, but I made the mistake of using steel for the main structure, and the magnets were attracted to the steel and over came the power of the motor. Next, I made a GAMA motor, made mostly of aluminium at the bottom end, the displacer is still balanced on a light mechanical spring, but the piston, with it's magnet is sprung by having another magnet under it with the like poles facing each other, so that they repel each other. The moving magnets pass through a pair of coils to generate an electric current. Ian S C
bladeattila
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2013 10:31 pm
Location: Budapest, Hungary

Re: How you can build an easy free piston Stirling engine?

Post by bladeattila »

Ian, I'm interested about your picture!

I used wire spring in the hot side yet, but that always deformated when I heated up the engine.
Cold side spring is better, but there some problem to be solved. Not enough space for it, but the dead volume is not accepted.
I used some accordion, so the DVR an another important part of this construction, and should be to connected to the holder part...
So it is a complicate solution, but works well!:)

The solid piston for the displacer is much better. I thought about a magnetic spring to the cold side of the displacer, and that is possible with a rounded and a ring neodymium magnets. The rounded fixed on the displacer's piston-rod, and the ring fixed on the displacers piston cylinder.
Image
The flames of ignorance doesn't hurt when you burn.
Ian S C
Posts: 2218
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 5:15 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: How you can build an easy free piston Stirling engine?

Post by Ian S C »

Sorry I'll try and explain the displacer side of things a bit better. The displacer cylinder is inverted, the rod comes out the bottom, and the cylinder is heated at the top with a ring burner and LPG, ideally it should not need a spring, it should work like a Ringbom motor, but the rod is not quite right, so it needs a little help. No hot springs! Ian S C
bladeattila
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Aug 21, 2013 10:31 pm
Location: Budapest, Hungary

Re: How you can build an easy free piston Stirling engine?

Post by bladeattila »

Oh, OK, I understood!
The flames of ignorance doesn't hurt when you burn.
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