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Hello there! I am learning all the things about alternative engines and wondering if someone building Ericson-cycle engines.
I think this kind of cycle also suitable for building real engines and it seems, it can be even better than Stirling cycle for some of applications!

Just my opinion, but, not knowing much about the Ericson engine or cycle, beyond what I can see on Wikipedia, it appears to suffer from the theoretical contradictions inherent in viewing heat as a "thing", the "caloric", a substance that has to be let in and let out, through valves, and conserved for reuse in a regenerator. when in reality, it is not.

Problem is, in an efficient engine, there is no heat left over to do anything with. At greater efficiencies, the apparatus to let out the heat, or conserve it, becomes superfluous.

Tom Booth wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 10:59 am Just my opinion, but, not knowing much about the Ericson engine or cycle.

As a Stirling-engine enthusiast, you should learn details about it, because Ericsson cycle (and correspondent engine, not Ericsson engine built using Stirling cycle) is not something which having different than Stirling or Carnot cycle problems. The basic idea is the same: constant temperature compression and constant tempterature expansion which is not really existent in the real world, because for heat exchanging there is needed temperature difference, so effective cycle upper temperature is lower than heater temperature. But if you will take a look at Ericsson cycle, you can figure out what it is nothing but improved Brayton cycle which is really practical and can be performed by piston engine. So, difference with Brayton is just intercooling during compression, heating during expansion and recuperative reheating.

Tom Booth wrote: ↑Thu Sep 15, 2022 10:59 am a substance that has to be let in and let out, through valves

Valves in Ericsson-cycle engine is needed to distinguish constant-pressure expansion and constant-temperature expansion. The principle of operation is similar with steam engines: we letting steam to go into cylinder, then valve is closed and steam expanded to atmospheric pressure. The same thing for Ericsson: hot gas intaked to the cylinder, then valve closed and gas expanded to lower cycle pressure (which should be much greater than atmospheric, just as for Striling)