Search found 64 matches

by spinningmagnets
Sat Jul 27, 2024 11:26 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Request advice, volume ratios of components, displacer, cylinder, etc
Replies: 16
Views: 7141

Re: Request advice, volume ratios of components, displacer, cylinder, etc

From the book Amateur Work Three (3) from 1904! Published by Draper Publishing Company
Oops! you are correct, not in production
by spinningmagnets
Fri Jul 26, 2024 2:49 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Request advice, volume ratios of components, displacer, cylinder, etc
Replies: 16
Views: 7141

Re: Request advice, volume ratios of components, displacer, cylinder, etc

https://www.stirlingengineforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=2118#p2118 Doing research ahead of time is always good, and...at the same time, I place a high value on real-world experiments that will expose issues that weren't thought of during the planning stage. Here's a simple gamma from 1904 with a record...
by spinningmagnets
Sat Jul 20, 2024 5:14 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Stirling Engine Suppression.
Replies: 5
Views: 2497

Re: Stirling Engine Suppression.

I don't think there is a lot of profit in making Stirling engines for sale to the public. There is no way to patent any part of it, so a premium price cannot be charged to early-adopters. Even if someone tried to make and sell them...who would buy it, and what would they use it for? One possible ans...
by spinningmagnets
Thu Jul 04, 2024 7:33 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Request advice, volume ratios of components, displacer, cylinder, etc
Replies: 16
Views: 7141

Re: Request advice, volume ratios of components, displacer, cylinder, etc

Thanks, Matt. I appreciate you taking the time to post that. It is very helpful to me!
by spinningmagnets
Wed Jul 03, 2024 7:01 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Request advice, volume ratios of components, displacer, cylinder, etc
Replies: 16
Views: 7141

Re: Request advice, volume ratios of components, displacer, cylinder, etc

Per "Ian S C" in New Zealand...https://stirlingengineforum.com/search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&author_id=1424 Displacer should be near three times longer than its diameter, with the warm walls of the displacer acting as a mild regenerator Working gas volume in displacer-...
by spinningmagnets
Tue Jul 02, 2024 6:30 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Request advice, volume ratios of components, displacer, cylinder, etc
Replies: 16
Views: 7141

Request advice, volume ratios of components, displacer, cylinder, etc

I'm hoping to gather the common thoughts on optimum diameter-to-length ratios and also volume ratios between the big three components on a Gamma. Power cylinder (bore/stroke), displacer cylinder, and displacer. For instance, a low-temp-differential Gamma (LTD) displacer-cylinder has a wide diameter,...
by spinningmagnets
Sat Jun 22, 2024 5:21 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Stirling piston rings
Replies: 11
Views: 3207

Re: Stirling piston rings

I forgot to add from the Andy Ross book...he did use a long power-piston with the seals/rings at the base instead of the crown (as mentioned before in this discussion), and one interesting bit is that the piston itself can absorb heat which travels down the sides of the piston, which adds heat to th...
by spinningmagnets
Fri Jun 21, 2024 5:09 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Stirling piston rings
Replies: 11
Views: 3207

Re: Stirlng piston rings

From "Making Stirling Engines" by Andy Ross (3rd ed. 1997) pg 11, the 65cc rhombic was rebuilt...Its friction was low and its seals were excellent. Both the piston and the displacer used two-cycle engine racing·type piston rings, which are thin chrome plated steel rings with very low outsp...
by spinningmagnets
Tue Jun 18, 2024 7:14 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Stirling piston rings
Replies: 11
Views: 3207

Re: Stirling piston rings

jpigg55, I've never heard of Clupet rings before. Now that I've seen them, I don't know why they aren't more common! Thanks.
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PistonRingClupet.png (368.77 KiB) Viewed 3134 times
by spinningmagnets
Tue Jun 18, 2024 6:48 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Stirling piston rings
Replies: 11
Views: 3207

Re: Stirling piston rings

From VincentG... "...For what it's worth, the Essex mostly solved the hot piston sealing issue. The piston dome was thin brass and only .015" or so smaller than the bore, but protrudes up a few inches, preventing the majority of the hot gas from reaching the piston sealing area...." T...
by spinningmagnets
Mon Jun 17, 2024 2:47 pm
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Stirling piston rings
Replies: 11
Views: 3207

Re: Stirling piston rings

Thank you, staska!
by spinningmagnets
Sun Jun 16, 2024 7:11 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Stirling piston rings
Replies: 11
Views: 3207

Stirling piston rings

I am curious about the current "go to" piston ring for a large working Gamma. The small brass desktop demonstrators seem to have no seal, or use a rubber O-ring. The 1880's Rider-Alpha used leather seals that were lightly oiled, and the design simply accepted a certain amount of air leakag...
by spinningmagnets
Sun Jun 16, 2024 6:56 am
Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
Topic: Wilcox Caloric, 1860, open-cycle, regenerator
Replies: 25
Views: 7759

Re: Wilcox Caloric, 1860, open-cycle, regenerator

Thank you both for the thoughtful replies, you have given me much to think about. Matt, I am near retirement and I've been shuffled by management into a maintenance position where I do a lot of grass mowing in the warm months on a riding mower. Nice gig if you can get it. When pondering the Wilcox e...