Stirling engine electric generator

Discussion on Stirling or "hot air" engines (all types)
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Tom Booth
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Stirling engine electric generator

Post by Tom Booth »

The search is on for an electric generator suitable for use with a medium to large power producing Stirling engine.

At first, what I had in mind was something like this:

https://youtu.be/uvxUIdLA7qk


But lately, my attention is turning more towards something like this:


https://youtu.be/wAKXxJ2ZWks


Or this:


https://youtu.be/Sf05fHpeYRg


For the time being though, I've settled on trying one of these: 300 watt permanent magnet motor/generators.

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Tom Booth
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Re: Stirling engine electric generator

Post by Tom Booth »

Watching this video, mention is made of using a "mobility scooter motor" as an "excellent" Stirling engine generator.


https://youtu.be/u48Rp-R7txo?t=163


I don't know if this replacement scooter motor is the same, but might be worth a try:


https://www.monsterscooterparts.com/dri ... tra-x.html


It doesn't look like it has much of a shaft to attach anything like a pulley to though.
Tom Booth
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Re: Stirling engine electric generator

Post by Tom Booth »

There was a website that described how to put together a peddle power exercise bike generator. The recommendation was a "pancake motor". Specifically one of these p40-250 motors:

https://www.ampflow.com/motors/pancake/


Lowtech magazine article on the Wayback machine internet Archive:

https://web.archive.org/web/20220307231 ... rator.html

The original site, for whatever reason is currently unavailable, but the artical is fairly recent, so that may be temporary. Here is the URL anyway:

https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2022/ ... rator.html

This appears to be, quite possibly, the same motor as in the opening post. I figure, if a human can generate some energy with this motor using pedal power, hopefully so could a larger size Stirling engine. If not, well, why bother?

Could maybe go smaller if necessary.

If it can't at least charge a 12 or 24 volt battery bank, well again, why bother? At least a 12 volt battery could be charged over time, then the battery could be used to run an inverter.

Rarely do I see, however, a Stirling engine doing more than charging a cell phone, if that.


https://youtu.be/1JqFXcVLhMk


Years ago, I was able to power a 12volt laptop using an exercise bike and a car alternator, but just barely, and it was rather strenuous peddling.
Tom Booth
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Re: Stirling engine electric generator

Post by Tom Booth »

I was, however, using the exercise bike generator in conjunction with a large deep cycle battery, so, the alternator was charging the battery. The laptop ran off the deep cycle battery. I think at one point I was using the battery to run an inverter to charge the laptop as well. Before I figured out that the laptop could run off 12 volts directly. Anyway, a number of unnecessary loses and the deep cycle battery drew a lot of amps which made the peddling more difficult than it needed to be just to run a laptop.

Also, the car alternator I had running directly on the tire via friction drive, so I had to peddle like mad just to get the alternator up to a high enough RPM.

This looks like a better idea. A 10 speed bicycle can be geared up much more easily, and using minimal batteries to keep the alternator energized makes more sense than trying to keep a giant deep cycle battery charged.


https://youtu.be/kVAZIDFMRXY


Anyway, the point I wanted to make is that with a modest 12 volt DC output, it would be possible to run a DC to AC inverter that could then power normal household appliances, like the food processor, hand tools and so forth.

I bought one of these Amish modified inverters locally that run off a DeWalt (or other) hand tool battery to supply 300 Watts AC power.

It works surprisingly well.

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What they do is have a charging station in the barn to charge a bunch of these hand tool batteries up all at one time for the whole community, from a big diesel generator.
Bret
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Re: Stirling engine electric generator

Post by Bret »

Producing electricity via a sterling engine is something I'm very interested in.
I was wondering if the sterling engine could be simplified by using the syringe model sterling or Heat engine and scaling it up using metal parts.
Would this even work?
If it did then a linear generator could be used.
You guys have more experience than me, could a scaled up syringe type sterling engine work?
Tom Booth
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Re: Stirling engine electric generator

Post by Tom Booth »

Bret wrote: Sat Mar 26, 2022 7:05 am Producing electricity via a sterling engine is something I'm very interested in.
I was wondering if the sterling engine could be simplified by using the syringe model sterling or Heat engine and scaling it up using metal parts.
Would this even work?
If it did then a linear generator could be used.
You guys have more experience than me, could a scaled up syringe type sterling engine work?
I'm not sure about metal as that draws heat more than glass, though I'm interested in titanium lately because it is very non-heat conducting for a metal, but difficult to machine and weld, but probably not as much so as glass. I'm leaning towards ceramic lately. I've been researching the possibility of lining a ceramic cylinder with a borosilicate glass glaze.

Maybe this is close to what you have in mind, not scaled up very much though.

Linear generator anyway

https://youtu.be/cAyw_dOioMU

Not sure what sort of syringe type engine you have in mind, there are a few variations.
airpower
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Re: Stirling engine electric generator

Post by airpower »

Bret wrote: Sat Mar 26, 2022 7:05 am Producing electricity via a sterling engine is something I'm very interested in.
I was wondering if the sterling engine could be simplified by using the syringe model sterling or Heat engine and scaling it up using metal parts.
Would this even work?
If it did then a linear generator could be used.
You guys have more experience than me, could a scaled up syringe type sterling engine work?
There are some available but cost is way to high for the output like with the free piston 1kW generator Stirling Engine
https://www.sunpowerinc.com/

The bottom line with ANY type of Stirling engine you have a "spongy" power stroke as the air compresses, it's like the piston wearing a boxing glove.
Steam wont bulge but massive amount of energy needed to head the water mass. Like boxing with a brass knuckle rings.

At some stage it wiil be found out how successful it will be to mix the two.
Next to no energy is spend to heat the water as it just sits at the bottom atop of the valve. As soon as valve opens water drops is first one out and will strike without compressing. In boxing terms a bare fist hit.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5352&start=15#p17340
Bret
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Re: Stirling engine electric generator

Post by Bret »

Thank you guys.

I'll have a think and will let you know if successful.
So many different thoughts of what to try.... I hope this is normal behaviour lol.

Take care

Bret
Tom Booth
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Re: Stirling engine electric generator

Post by Tom Booth »

This might be worth considering for a Stirling engine that is at least 10 horsepower. Is that an unreasonable expectation? A ten horsepower DIY Stirling engine??

I have some high hopes I guess. Apparently the 3 kw Infinia is less than half that, about 4 hp.

Anyway, an alternator with 48 volt output is good to see. Combined with a 48 volt inverter, all that is needed then is something to turn the alternator and some sort of 48 volt battery bank.

Maybe...

Well, actually, I think just about any car alternator will put out higher voltage if the regulator is disabled that isn't nearly as easy as it was back when the regulators were external. These 48 volt alternators look like they have gone back to using an external regulator. Perhaps that is the only difference (?)

https://youtu.be/PPJcmr3dImo

Well, checking the website, this seems odd:

https://balmar.net/?s=48+volt&site_sect ... pe=product

It seems these "48 volt" alternators use 12 volts at the field.(?)
To be used exclusively with the MC-620-H regulator with a 12V supply to the regulator
At any rate, I think the same result can be achieved with any normal 12 volt car alternator by just changing the regulator, probably.

The higher the voltage, though, the higher the RPM necessary.
Tom Booth
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Re: Stirling engine electric generator

Post by Tom Booth »

I thought this was a good tutorial demonstrating and explaining how to make, and the components that go into a basic linear generator that could be adapted for use with a Stirling engine of just about any size.


https://youtu.be/blOCycNQ6uI

Coil, magnet, rectifier and battery/capacitor storage. Make it big enough, an inverter could be used for AC output.

Edit: and of course, a Stirling engine to drive the thing, as well as a heat source.
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