Projects / Mechanical / Project 24

Low-Temperature-Differential Stirling Engine

Approx. component budget: Rs. 8,000 - 14,000

Objective

Build a working Stirling engine and find how its speed and power change with the temperature difference.

What you will build

A gamma-type Stirling engine with a displacer, power piston, crank and flywheel, run on the temperature difference between a hot plate (hot water or a lamp) and a cooled top plate.

Results you can expect

• Engine speed vs temperature difference
• Minimum running temperature difference
• Estimated power
• Effect of displacer stroke and phase angle

What you will learn

The Stirling cycle, crank mechanisms, friction and sealing, and a clean-energy idea that runs on waste heat or sunlight.

Tools and notes

Thermocouples, tachometer or IR sensor, Excel. Needs a lathe and careful fitting. Handle hot water and lamps with care.

Resume points from this project

• Built and tested Low-Temperature-Differential Stirling Engine; objective: build a working Stirling engine and find how its speed and power change with the temperature difference.
• Measured and analysed engine speed vs temperature difference and minimum running temperature difference; wrote the report and presented the results in a viva. Add your own numbers: [x].

Replace [x] with your own measured results. Write only what you really did.

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