Stirling engineA Stirling engine is a heat engine that operates by cyclic compression and expansion of air or other gas (the working fluid) at different temperatures, such that there is a netconversion of heat energy to mechanical work. More specifically, the Stirling engine is a closed-cycle regenerative heat engine with a permanently gaseous working fluid.Closed-cycle, in this context, means a thermodynamic system in which the working fluid is permanently contained within the system, and regenerative describes the use of aspecific type of internal heat exchanger and thermal store, known as the regenerator. The inclusion of a regenerator differentiates the Stirling engine from other closed cycle hotair engines. Originally conceived in 1816 as an industrial prime mover to rival the steam engine, its practical use was largely confined to low-power domestic applications for over a

century. Stirling engines have a high efficiency compared to steam engines, being able to reach 50% efficiency. They arealso capable of quiet operation and can use almost any heat source. The heat energy source is generated external tothe Stirling engine rather than by internal combustion as with the Otto cycle or Diesel cycle engines. Because the Stirlingengine is compatible with alternative andrenewable energy sources it couldbecome increasingly significant as theprice of conventional fuels rises, and alsoin light of concerns such as depletion ofoil supplies and climate change. This typeof engine is currently generating interestas the core component of microcombined heat and power (CHP) units, inwhich it is more efficient and safer than acomparable steam engine. However, ithas a low power-to-weight ratio,rendering it more suitable for use instatic installations where space andweight are not at a premium.

HistoryInvention and early development

The Stirling engine (or Stirling's air engine as it was knownat the time) was invented and patented by Robert Stirlingin 1816. It followed earlier attempts at making an airengine but was probably the first put to practical usewhen, in 1818, an engine built by Stirling was employedpumping water in a quarry. The main subject of Stirling'soriginal patent was a heat exchanger, which he called an"economiser" for its enhancement of fuel economy in avariety of applications. The patent also described in detailthe employment of one form of the economiser in hisunique closed-cycle air engine design in which applicationit is now generally known as a "regenerator". Subsequentdevelopment by Robert Stirling and his brother James, anengineer, resulted in patents for various improvedconfigurations of the original engine includingpressurization, which by 1843, had sufficiently increasedpower output to drive all the machinery at a Dundee ironfoundry.

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ISO 2768-1 medium

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IronPROXTPerformance Booster

powered by - www.ironcad.it

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1:2 31/05/2017Jonas Maurizio

101Stirlin Motor Engine

Materiale Stål and SJ350

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Beta-type Stirling engine.There is only one cylinder, hot at one end and cold at the other.A loose-fitting displacer shunts the air between the hot and cold ends of the cylinder.A power piston at the end of the cylinder drives the flywheel.