Hot Air Lamina Flow Engine Stirling Moteur Motor

This is a sweet little engine I built. This will run off of a small candle and can achieve as many as 300 rpm from said candle. Though most of the time it gets around 200 rpm from a candle. I have run this particular engine up to 825 rpm using propane, but propane tends to melt the pyrex test tube, so typically I only run it on candle heat.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Lamina
• Flow
• Stirling
• Engine
• Hot
• Air
• Renewable
• Energy
• Motor
• Solar
• Power
• Model
• Steam
• Lathe
• Mill

[cyberdustz]

Instead of glass, is it possible to use copper tube? Or must the hot side be thermally isolated from the cold side and the rest?

[fuzzymonkey777]

@cyberdustz I haven't tried metal yet so I'm not certain. I have put a small piece of copper tubing right over top of the place where you apply heat. That helped reduce melting from a propane torch. You may need some cooling fins to stop the flow of heat from the hot to the cold side.

[chrisuntch]

What is in the glass?

[fuzzymonkey777]

@chrisuntch Inside of that glass is steel wool, some times called a brillow pad. It's just shredded strands of steel.

[london1817]

That is awesome!

[fuzzymonkey777]

@london1817 Thank you.  8-)

[Crusoe92]

what is the steel wool's purposes?

[hybrid124]

tabs plz

[dextor314]

Hook that thing to a dynometer and see how many watts it produces, then find the total chemical energy contained in the wax by measuring the energy given off from burning the whole candle and using the amount of time it takes to burn the whole candle determine the power given off from the flame, then find the efficiency of the engine, factor in the cost of the candle and see if you could generate cheaper electricity for your house with a couple thousand of these. Just thinking too much again.

[fuzzymonkey777]

@Sam21412 It is very airtight. If you were to push the piston into the cylinder and hold it there, even after 30 seconds it would still push itself out from the pressure that is still built up inside of it. That is the most critical part of the engine. I used an Actuator from Airpot. Search for Airpot on Google. They gave me a free sample of an actuator and that's what I used there. They may still give out free samples.