Small Stirling engine drives 20" box fan blade - 630 rpm!

I've actually had this up to 810 rpm on propane but it does very well on alcohol or even candle power as shown in this video. The breeze can easily be felt 20 feet away even with the candles driving it. Still needs refining but lots of potential applications for this engine.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Stirling
• engine
• hot
• air
• motor
• external
• combustion
• home
• built
• casero
• appropriate
• technology
• sustainable
• development
• energy
• candle
• fan

[watzupdawg]

600rpm and 95dB.

[approtechie]

@watzupdawg I accidentally had my mic boost turned on. It's actually quieter. My new one is a lot quieter.

[Rupertbilpus]

You could in theory put a generator where the fan wheel is and create enough current to separate the water into hydrogen to produce the flame and power it indefinitely. You'll still have to use an out side flame

At first but once the hydrogen is being produced it should run it's self. Any thoughts?

[approtechie]

@Rupertbilpus If it were that simple I believe it would have been done long ago. The laws of thermodynamics always seem to get in the way of these sort of processes.

[spandaucrabbies]

any chance of a tutorial vid/ pics/ schematics? looking to build one of those things for a laugh/ bragging rights

[approtechie]

@spandaucrabbies Hope to have some plans in the works soon.

[BobGardnerInOrl]

3 candles is 3 BTUs. 3412 BTUs is a KW, so looks like the fan is running on about a watt.

[PhyUL09]

@approtechie So right... non-statistical thermodynamics are a mess of partial derivatives that you shake around hopelessly until you come up with the right Maxwell relation :p wikipedia. org/wiki/Maxwell_relations

[PhyUL09]

@Rupertbilpus It's because the entropy at the end of the cycle is higher than at the beginning... in other words the input energy is lost with dissipative phenomenon like friction, light, sound...

[nata911]

love that crankshaft lol

[Wyomingfarmer]

@approtechie yes and power loss by friction!

[5610winston]

@Rupertbilpus As in perpetual motion? I'm sure it's been tried, but like all such apparati, it would always need an outside energy source.

[safdarblog]

very good effort

[gnucklehead]

@Rupertbilpus In practice, Hydrogen from water: it takes more energy to separate it than you can get out of it. Nonetheless, this is a nice motor.. Should try to run a mechanical water pump from the shaft power.