Large Stirling Hot Air Engine

Project: Build a stirling engine that can do some usefull work.

This is an on-going project, the engine is not yet finished but it works!

Built around 4 stud bar colums, the displacer cylinder is a stainless pasta tin, the piston is an old footpump cylinder (with a new cast polyester piston). Old saucepans form the furnace (bottom) and the water jacket (at the top) which creates the heat differential between the two ends. The oscilating piston is connected via bit of flexible garden hose, and the flywheel is cast iron.

The plan is to use this to pump water for the garden pond, using anything that burns as fuel.

The bricks form a makeshift fire box as this is the first time the engine has run on solid fuel, in this case a small wood fire.

Thanks for viewing, I will upload more as the engine develops.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• stirling
• engine
• steam
• hotair
• hot
• air
• pump
• homemade
• recycle
• energy
• alternative
• history
• industrial
• scrap
• pistons

[lucygonzales]

Where can I get one of these?

[Valvechest]

You build one!

You could have had this one up until a few months ago, when I butchered it for parts.

[c55427]

Valvechest, thank you for your reply. In fact, I have a bicycle pump that is broke, so I have half of the spare parts!

What stroke did you use on the displacer and power piston? What are your dimensions for the displacer? Did you add a regenerator? I am thinking of using a pop can for a displacer and an empty hobby oxygen tank for the heat cylinder.

[Valvechest]

Both strokes are between 2-3'' the displacer is the no regenerative closed cylinder type. I would go and take some measurements for you, but you need to build your engine around your parts - just make the swept volume of the dispacer 1.5 (or a bit bigger) times that of the power piston and it will work.

[c55427]

is this engine powerful enough to pump water? When you pump water do you plan to somehow cool the power piston?

[Valvechest]

hi, yes it will be capable of pumping water, just a question of volume + lift height really. I have tried putting weights on the top of the piston, to see how much it can lift while still running and it looks promising.

The plan is to pump the water through the waterjacket to maintain the heat differential.

[StirlingEngine123]

Nice! I like the oscillating power cylinder! Do u use this engine for something neither the experimental view of it? Tkx

[joeypumford1]

absolutely what I need. but I'm no engineer can you build one for me if sdo how much in uk

[piespokladowy]

Good job!

[josephdupont]

put some magnets on the wheel and make some electricity! Great motor! congrats..

[GerbilEssences]

Brilliant. Love the idea of just grabbing the heat from a fire and doing something useful, without the hassle of steam :)

[drakesolar]

pretty cool, but why is it sideways?

[sleeplessinparadise]

whats with the bad camera angle?

This would have been a cool video if you had filmed the subject straight on

[jupy921]

I wish I didn't have to twist my head to see this straight; but WOW that is wicked cool. Five stars even sideways. :)