STIRLING ENGINE: Bracebridge Fall Fair

[kyle92223]

Ok, it was built in 1895, how many times was it restored?

[ebach1]

its very quiet :)

thanks for the video

[Archurian]

a steam engine, without the need for a boiler, quite clever, I love em and i want that one.

[Element19969]

lol i live here!

[electrique527]

".. for third world countries" ?

Me thinks some first world country could use some more energy efficiency ;-)

Richard

[sixmagpies]

His explanation is lousy!

Simply put, the large 'displacer piston', made about 4% less diameter than the cylinder, and driven by the rotating flywheel, simply moves the air up and down between the hot and cold ends of a cylinder. Each time the hot air is moved to the 'cold' end, the air contracts causing a partial vacuum in the cylinder which pulls the power piston down, turning the flywheel. QED

[Mawbellog]

Stirling engines would be great for third world countries, no maintenence, no electricity, they run on just heat. They can be built to have incredible levels of efficiency

[FreonRose]

um yea im sory but this looks like 1800's technology. someone goin omish? Not very interesting.

[jmack619]

small electric motor ?? it looks like at least a 20 hp or 20000 watts .not small

[BanjoNaps]

Back to the future man. Back to the future. We made to many wrong turns to keep going down the path.

[imikewillrockyou]

Very nice, a real Sterling Engine that can do some real work.

[nthnlsmmrs]

Even better, have the heat source be a solar hot water heater. This way, it pumps water and produces hot water and nothing is wasted, I like the efficiency of this design. If I could get one or have one built for my own home that would be amazing.

[wizardangel]

SOME OF THIS OLDSCHOOL TECH is still very useful-Fresnel lenses instead of a fire to run-Fresnel lenses are those ribbed flexable screens on projection tv's and combined with a parrablic mirror can do solar cooking /maby even melt meatals for clay casting parts-Leather for years was used as rubber washers/gaskets for a airtight longlasting seal-a step backwards could be handy when the electrionic tech is out of reach !pumping that much water up 100 ft,wow at 3+ pounds per gallon !torch adaptable

[cyborgtroy]

Well you can use a fresnel lens or a parabolic mirror, they do the same job.

[wizardangel]

I will be trying the lens first ,,overcast mostly right now --I have collect lens from broken sets ,,the mirror is hard to come by --but a trough parabolic maby a better

[FreonRose]

yea it was the idea that old technology is usefull that keeps the omish simple minded...... thats why we have scientists to make stuff better in a process called technological advancement wheree crap like this goes obsolete.... becouse theres just better more efficent stuff out there...

[wizardangel]

what happens when you need parts on these new tech advancements requireing breadboards ,,piont is basic working pre-electricail power sorce -you can sandcast mold any broken part on these old designs - not every place has modern lifestyle options ,,or maby lose the services provided from miles away..

[ricande]

Where???

[TheAussieincalgary]

You're confusing efficiency with power output, there is nothing out there that can operate at the efficincy (ie: amount of fuel burnt for the amount of work extracted) even our modern computerised engines are still only about 35% efficient ie, most of the fuel going in goes out the other end unburnt, only 20 bucks of the 60 bucks you put in your tank is actually making your car go anywhere.

[TheAussieincalgary]

Oh, by the way, guess what Nasa is using for deep space vehicles and some power companies are using to generate elecricity with.... stirling engines.... yup... sounds like technological advancement to me buddy....

[FreonRose]

lmao i highly doubt that. they get paid too much to use something this old on a deep space vehicle. the environmental rigors the vehicles have to withstand just wont allow for it. as for some power companies again lmao. nuclear power and hydro electric bro. the output capacity and efficiency out classes something like this. even hydrogen fuel cell is more efficient. nice try but like i said. this old crap is useless junk. only way it could be useful is in a 3rd world country as a water pump....

[TheAussieincalgary]

Got to the NASA web site and type in "STIRLING", you will find NASA has being developing them for deep space, the moon base and even way back in the 1970's for cars. So go out and actually do some research mate. 'nough said

[kyle92223]

@TheAussieincalgary

And, I think you will find that they scrapped the Stirling generator for the more useful solar cells. End of story.

[cableairman]

@FreonRose nasa really has used these and so do some new solar plants they have lot higher efficiency than solar panels. Why don't you just take less than five minuets on Wikipedia and learn something.

[FreonRose]

@cableairman  Wikipedia can be edited by anyone who feels like typing whether they know the information or not. so why don't you try learning something.

[Konicava]

@FreonRose be my guest if you have unlimited resources.

[FreonRose]

@Konicava last time i checked that's what recycling was for and this has no real use sept to melt it down into something more useful. :)

[Konicava]

@FreonRose every person have his personal needs and we as humans create machines to help us in our needs, in this case the best use is to pump water.

And Still we need energy and more resources to melt it down...

What is useful to you might be usseless to anybody else.

[HectorSpudds]

Is this return to the future?

[sn1pe352]

theoretically you could run one using Fresnel lenses and the sun

[wakinonthemoon]

Now that's just freakin awesome!

[hwymadness850]

with all our modern technology, it's always the simplest idias which impress me most.

[joejedlicka]

Although, thinking about it more, you would have to have an automated fuel system. Either an auxillary shaft that uses and power and geared down, could turn an auger for coal/wood pellets, or you could have an electric pump (with a switch), that could slowly dump gasoline/oil into the burner, the rate it pumps could probably be calibrated with resistors inline with the pump curcuit.

[necromancer74x9]

theoretically you could build one to run off the sun, paint the hot side black & put it in a greenhouse & put the cool end in a white-well ventilated shed. you could also cool one side with the water it pumps up.

[joejedlicka]

I like the solar idea. Once it was built, it wouldn't cost alot to keep up.

[necromancer74x9]

I'm not an inventor but I assume that would depend on the complexity of the design & materials used.

[Validole]

resistors are not your friend, use triacs instead (I assume triacs is the word I'm looking for, no dictionary gave me a match for "sümistor" from Estonian)

[joejedlicka]

I don't know too much about electronical engineering, I thought the less voltage it would get, the slower the pump would go, but maybe the low voltage would hurt the pump.

[Validole]

And you thought right. But when current passes through resistors, they get warm, wasting electricity. the tric... whatever, sümistors, control it without losses. Anyway, you get me this pump and I'll make you the fuel controlling gear, deal? :D

[joejedlicka]

Sounds good to me. :)

[joejedlicka]

It would have to have a higher power/weight ratio, but making a vehicle around something like this could be done, the only mods I could see would be a flywheel to clutch adapter, mounts for the motor and burner to chassis, and covers around the burner, with holes for exhaust, as the wind from the vehicle moving would make you lose alot of heat. The only probelem would be little/no throttle control, but the manual clutch would act as a reverse-throttle of sorts, and you could have brakes.

[necromancer74x9]

perhaps an old corvair engine could be converted & hooked to a generator, a sterling electric hybrid.

[joejedlicka]

That's a good idea.

[colin340]

look up deka(it a r and d biz) they have made a new that rocks

[ravelgrane]

so that has the original air from 1895 in that cylinder!

[senatorclaghorn]

I hope you're being facetious.

[bradmacaroon]

Do you think this device could be replicated using some modern materials? How much horsepower does it deliver? Thanks and thanks for the video.

[TaHrPa]

Not only it can be replicated but you could build much better. Stirling engine the size of that in the clip could probably generate up to 10 HP. More than enough to power-up your entire home. Check google for more info.

[Cybjon]

Kockums are actually offering a stirling engine section to be added to existing submarines and they build new submarines with one ready to go; you just need to bring along a few tanks of LOX to oxygenate whatever fuel you want to use and you're away; they can spend several weeks submerged and are ideal for countries that can't afford nuclear. There's even a company in Germany that sells them for domestic use.

[bradmacaroon]

beautifully simple. I wonder what the efficiency is compared to gasoline engines. Thanks for the reply.

[441rider]

Old type 20-25% I think gas tops at 14%? heat loss energy waste. Modern machines approach an honest 40% from what I have seen. The torque is the challenge and running a sealed compressed unit almost has expodential power good increases with Helium as well.

[OriginMultislayer]

Hot air rises up... :D:D

[paxgladius]

Awesome, I think we may start looking for those "old" technologies before we know it as energy crisis start hiting home

[ihatem1cro5oft]

by the explanation given (and what i observed) its not a stirling engine, but a newcomen engine - these engines have a low RPM/high torque property that stirlings lack (big difference!). check wikipedia newcomen/atmospheric engine

[Mattys2007]

a newcomen /atmospheric engine is a steam engine, this is a Denney hot air engine..... only thing in the cylinder is air, the water is only for cooling of the top part of the cylinder which is for the cold piston to get your difference in temperature

[mpsrent]

The guy is Glen Kirton, a retired Ontario Provincial Police office from Bracebridge. Glen is extremely knowledgable about steam engines.

[tomterahedrob]

thanks!how much hp?fuel consumption?

[impazzitoinvolo]

Very very nice!!! Beautyfull machine! COngratulation at that man for the recovery/restructure.

Ciao!

[Mattys2007]

good video, but doesnt the hot piston go down and displace the hot air into the top part of the cylinder, and not brings the hot air up with it when the hot piston comes up?

[ranxer]

the power is created by expansion of the heated air and contraction of the cooled air, the process would not work without a flywheel pushing the cold air back to the hot end, and it would work the same if the whole machine was upside down and the top was heated.

[Mattys2007]

not disputing that, im saying that the displacer piston goes down into the hot part of the cylinder, displaces the hot air into the top part of the cylinder, the hot air goes from hot to cold and contracts and sucks the power piston down, thats where u get your power from, and the flywheel keeps it all going.

[Mattys2007]

A hot air engine runs on heat. you put any heat source under the engine for example on mine i use gas. Heat the cylinder up, spin the flywheel, when the displacer piston goes down, it displaces the hot air from the hot part of the cylinder and the hot air goes into the water cooled part of the cylinder which is a different temperature, the air goes from hot to cold and contracts, sucking the power piston down which gives the engine its power, and the weight of the flywheel keeps it all going.

[fuzzymonkey777]

That's a great video, I loved hearing the dates and history that this fellow knew about. Make some more videos, I know you want to. :)