Stirling engine

Problem

Stirling engines kits are built at the navy academy. Blocks of metal are machined by freshmen at MIT into a stirling engine. The reason is that they are the most efficient engine that exists. Building one looks easy, but most fail. The goal is to get a process so refined, that 50 intro to engineering students can build one at home .. with most materials found in a grocery store.

Conceive

Build stirling engines out of cans, wire, balloons, pens, foam .. stuff found at a grocery store. Develop instructions that anyone can successfully follow. Turn it into the second weekend exercise for an intro to engineering course.

Design

Can designs have the most simple materials. There are many other designs.

Can Designs
video use this design, no other What happens when letting parts guide the design fall 2011 fall 2011 drawing 2011

HCC Starting point
sterling engine design from tin can full engine design stirling engine design design showing white displacer and power piston flywheel attached to crankshaft interior view of tin can tin can diagram cross section of the entire stirling engine holes for diplacement of displacer due to air movement

• explain this quasiturbine version of a stirling engine

Implement

Stirling engines seem easy to build. Kits can be purchased that work the first time. Material lists are easy to make. There are two implementation problems:

• don't understand the theory of operation
• when doesn't work, the next steps are missing
• people that get stirling engines to work can not verbalize, take pictures and chop into fine detailed steps the solutions to the typical problems people encounter.

This is why the same specific design needs to be built by everyone. Don't let the parts one finds guide the design.

Operate

Many overheat (burn up) their stirling engine in order to solve problems. A well designed stirling engine can run on the heat of a coffee cup or the heat of one's hand video.

Demo

presentation

Next Steps

• develop presentable theory of operation
• start building a specific design and documenting failures
• source all the parts in the above design