10 watt DIY Stirling engine,1685 rpm!

I've been working to raise the speed of this little engine and checking that it will cope with the increased stresses. This video shows that it can take it. I'm running it on a Bunsen burner hooked to a propane bottle to be able to run the heater head red hot. Water is circulating through the cooling jacket from a tiny pump. I had cut the base off so placed steel wool pads under the legs to absorb any vibrations. I'm pretty pleased with how this engine is doing and I'm thinking it's about maxed out. Next step - to measure the power output. [Update: max power = 10.4 watts @ 1000 rpm, measured on the shaft; Max torque = 1.06 lb-in. @ 540 rpm]

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Stirling
• engine
• hot
• air
• motor
• home
• built
• casero
• appropriate
• technology
• green
• energy
• sustainable
• development
• water
• bottle
• external
• combustion
• solar
• watts

[106theboss]

Would love to do it myself! Could you please provide me with details?(parts,dimensions,draw­ings etc.,)

[approtechie]

@106theboss Sorry, but I don't have that available yet. If you're handy, though, you can probably figure it out from the videos and comments.

[cellman64]

may you give measure of woods; two of them that holding crankshaft!? I guess I will make like this :)

[approtechie]

@cellman64 They're 1/2" thick, 1.5" wide, and long enough to reduce side stresses on the displacer rod. Good luck! Post a video when you finish it, I'd like to see it.

[SteamStirlingCP]

10 watts is a good amount of energy for a stiling like this one. God job sr. Your flywheells always seem so well connected to the cranks... How do you connect those two pieces togheter so they can work so weel as I see in the videos? I've seen some stirling videos and the flyweels always spin and seem to have a bad connection to the crank, but not yours... How you do it? (can u stop this engine by your hand at those RPMs?)

[approtechie]

@SteamStirlingCP I can stop the engine by hand on the flywheel, but if I try to hold just the shaft then no matter how hard I squeeze I can't stop it. I've noticed that the more I load down the engine the more torque it develops, up to a point of course.

[Toerme]

This is just amazing :D

[dwarfxxt]

lloll muito lokoooooo

[TheKarlsruheprotest]

Sounds great!

[cellman64]

@approtechie thank you so much. I hope I can make it and share with you master

[approtechie]

@teacupoftea Keep the friction as low as possible, use bearings wherever you can, take pains to make the crankshaft as true as possible, don't pack the steel wool too tight, make sure there are no leaks, keep the heat away from the cooling section, have good water flow through the cooler, pre-stretch the diaphragm by forming into the shape you want, apply some heat from a heat gun or similar, then leave it overnight. When you remove it next day the rubber will retain it's shape.