Stirling project #2
Back to main Sterling page
Note: This page will try and run an Active-X control. It is only the movie plug in at the bottom of the page. You can safely allow this page to run the Active-X control.
-
This is my second attempt at building a Stirling engine. Stirling #1 is not running yet. After all that work, I needed to see one run for a moral boost, so I built this tin can walking beam Stirling, and it runs!!!
-
Click on the images to see a larger image
The outer displacer cylinder is a bean can. The inner displacer piston is a chopped down PVC glue can. I had to use cans that could be soldered. Everything must be sealed air tight to work properly.	Here is the displacer cylinder after the lid was soldered on.
-
Click on the images to see a larger image
	This is a windows media file
This one actually works! See it running on a can of Sterno in the video clip to the right.	This is a 320x240 windows media file movie. If you want to see a 640 x 480 version, click the link below http://www.el34world.com/Misc/Stirling/Movies/Stirling1.wmv
The flywheel is a DVD disc with washers bolted to it so that it has some spinning weight. The power piston cylinder is a aluminum tube that was cut off a Mountain bike front fork steering tube. The power piston inside the cylinder is a copper plumbing end cap used to cap off the end of a copper pipe. The displacer stoke is about 1.5", the power piston stoke is about 1.25"
To do list: Make aluminum flywheel Get rid of the wood block at top. Machine a part to support the top beam. Put main center support threaded rod inside of pipes to make the support more rigid. Cooling experiment #1: Experiment with copper tubing around displacer cylinder. Pump water through copper tubing, using small fountain pump, to cool upper part of displacer cylinder. Cooling experiment #2: Get rid of tin cans and make a nicer displacer cylinder with a solid hot cap on the bottom and upper half that has cooling fins. Cool the fins with a flywheel that is machined into a fan blade shape.