Search found 50 matches

by Sockmonkey
Fri Jul 24, 2020 9:02 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: large lamina flow build
Replies: 139
Views: 157433

Re: large lamina flow build

I completely agree, such a waste of heat with these kind of engines with an open flame. I had this idea for years, but couldn't figure out any relatively easy way to implement it untill yesterday: https://stirlingengineforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2682 Heating a metal object that's inside some...
by Sockmonkey
Mon Jul 20, 2020 12:30 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 175599

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

12 hours of run time really emphasizes the sheer efficiency of the Stirling.
by Sockmonkey
Sun Jul 19, 2020 1:38 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: large lamina flow build
Replies: 139
Views: 157433

Re: large lamina flow build

I'd cobble together a couple of fireboxes for them so the flame won't be exposed, and so more of the flame will actually be heating the engine.
Seriously, that's a pet peeve of mine.
by Sockmonkey
Sat Jul 18, 2020 5:47 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 175599

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

BTW, the engines I ordered on eBay were sent "economy", as I recall, I was not about to pay the hundreds of dollars supposedly required for express. Stirling hobby shop had free shipping and the shipping label indicated the engines were sent express and at no extra charge. I would suggest...
by Sockmonkey
Sat Jul 18, 2020 12:06 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 175599

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

The ice will always eventually melt because there is no 100% perfect insulator, and no machine is 100% efficient. There are always mechanical losses. As far as mechanical loses and no perfect insulation, my freezer does not have perfect insulation either, and likely has numerous mechanical loses, b...
by Sockmonkey
Fri Jul 17, 2020 2:00 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 175599

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

The ice will always eventually melt because there is no 100% perfect insulator, and no machine is 100% efficient. There are always mechanical losses.
by Sockmonkey
Fri Jul 17, 2020 4:52 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment
Replies: 175
Views: 175599

Re: Tesla's "Ambient Heat Engine" Experiment

Unless you're burning fuel to introduce heat, the fact that no machine is 100% efficient means it wouldn't run. When you compress air to heat it, some of that heat is going to radiate into the environment so it's not going to put that energy into spinning the turbine.
by Sockmonkey
Fri Jul 10, 2020 9:02 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Please Someone help me , How Alpha Stirling engine works?
Replies: 17
Views: 12739

Re: Please Someone help me , How Alpha Stirling engine works?

One thing I really like about that one is that it has a proper firebox around the hot cylinder. Every display model I've seen just has it hanging over an open flame. That really drives me nuts as a good insulated firebox would not only heat it up working temperature faster, it would also cut down on...
by Sockmonkey
Fri Jul 10, 2020 8:53 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Solar Engine Questions
Replies: 10
Views: 2909

Re: Solar Engine Questions

Heck, you could line a parabolic dish with tinfoil and it would still work. Now, since it's focusing on the end of the cylinder rather than a tiny point, you can get away with the mirror being a section of a sphere rather than a proper parabola. Now if you still want that parabola shape, there's an ...
by Sockmonkey
Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:48 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Is a high power unpressurised stirling engine possible
Replies: 25
Views: 9015

Re: Is a high power unpressurised stirling engine possible

I was wondering about the spelling of Mason vs. Manson (with an N), rather than the "free piston" part. I tried finding information on "Mason" engines, but didn't find much of anything, so I assume it is just a misspelling of Manson (?) Or is there such a thing as a Mason engine...
by Sockmonkey
Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:37 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: The Right Theory of the Real Stirling Engine.
Replies: 23
Views: 16111

Re: The Right Theory of the Real Stirling Engine.

Part of the lack of development in Stirling engines is that back when they were first invented, metallurgy wasn't quite up to handling the temperatures needed to make them work really well. Likewise it's a bit tricky to make something flexible and airtight that can withstand high temperatures.
by Sockmonkey
Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:21 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: large lamina flow build
Replies: 139
Views: 157433

Re: large lamina flow build

With a pulsating flow, having the channel narrow gradually like that actually chokes it a bit because the airflow gets kind of wedged in, so to speak. No time to sort itself out before the pressure is expended.The early Marconet pulse jets used this. Mufflers on 2-stroke engines exploit this to impr...
by Sockmonkey
Tue Jun 30, 2020 1:37 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: large lamina flow build
Replies: 139
Views: 157433

Re: large lamina flow build

Like, what would be more effective at blowing out a candle? A short "laminar flow" burst of air through pursed lips directly focused on the flame or blowing smoke rings at it? We aren't blowing out a candle though. We're pushing a piston in an enclosed chamber. In that situation, pressure...
by Sockmonkey
Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:29 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Leidenfrost heat engine
Replies: 18
Views: 7712

Re: Leidenfrost heat engine

"Volatile" when referring to a substance, in this context simply means that it transitions from a liquid to a gas, (boils or evaporates, changes state) readily. An explosive expansion is what is wanted in an engine to drive the pistons, generally. The problem is that such explosive expans...
by Sockmonkey
Sun Jun 28, 2020 7:48 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Leidenfrost heat engine
Replies: 18
Views: 7712

Re: Leidenfrost heat engine

Tom Booth wrote: Sat Jun 27, 2020 5:18 pmHighly volatile sounds good to me for this application.
Why? Something being explosive doesn't have a lot to do with it's rate of expansion unless you intend for it to explode.