Stirling Engine - How It Works In Simple Terms

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Stirling Engine - How It Works In Simple Terms

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Күн бұрын

No jargon explanation how a Stirling engine works. Forget what you know about gas engines, diesels and steam engines. The Stirling engine works more like an air conditioner than any of those other engines.
OTHER STIRLING ENGINE VIDEOS:
Thermoacoustic Alpha: • Thermo Acoustic Stirli...
High Temperature Gamma: • Stirling Engine - High...
Gamma Low Temperature: • Stirling Engine - Low ...
Gamma Walking Beam: • Stirling Engine w/ Gen...
How it works: • Stirling Engine - How ...
Showing Power Output: • Stirling Engine w/ Gen...
WARNING: Hot parts, open flame, flammable liquids. Danger of fire and burns. Not for children. This model vibrates badly and the fuel can gets way too hot. Use proper precaution. If you don't know, learn first or do not do it.
Table-top size models produce only a tiny fractions of the power provided by a similarly sized steam or gas engine. Reverend Stirling was appalled by the number of his parishioners killed or maimed by boiler explosions in the early days of steam. He set out to build an engine that would not require or produce high pressures during operation. His "air engine", now known as the Stirling, was the result. Today, its efficiency (as high as 50% in some examples) and ability to use almost any heat source, including "waste" heat, allow it to fill niches that steam and gas engines cannot. - "Marv"

Пікірлер: 153

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

OTHER STIRLING ENGINE VIDEOS: Thermoacoustic Alpha: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iquZdbaUy7iYhp8.html High Temperature Gamma: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gM9iorRllcWxYJc.html Gamma Low Temperature: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z6iSmaqWmrnMl5s.html Gamma Walking Beam: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z95nddJeybzXgmg.html

@marvinj8420 2 жыл бұрын

This is the ONLY video I found that explains HOW it works. All others simply demonstrate what it does and not how. Thank you!

@tsbrownie 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you found it useful.

@onastick2411 6 ай бұрын

Snap, I was puzzled over how the expanding gases move the displacer piston, and what made it come back, this actually explained the heat was working on the small piston, and the vacuum as well. Excellent demonstration/explanation, don't know why all the other vids/animations can't manage to explain properly.

@briankisala5376 Жыл бұрын

Finally someone who explains how it works and not just bragging how much they know about the complexities of the engine.... Thank you

@sureshkumarn8733 3 ай бұрын

Your video has cleared all my doubts... Your explanation is excellent..... Love from Kerala, India.... Thank you...❤❤❤

@tsbrownie 3 ай бұрын

You are most welcome.

@philipstewart4470 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for explaining the process so well and simple! Finally had a "Aha-moment" with your video.

@thomasbordelon4149 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this video. I have try to wrap my head around this process for years. I understood why it could work but never quite understood how it worked . The weird timing and the displacer not being a piston at all, escaped my logic. No one breaks it down into the cycles like you do here. Thank you.

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

I had the same issue. I had to throw out everything I know about ICEs and steam engines, read up on Stirlings, and just sit and study the thing until I got it. It's a mind bender. The guy who first thought of it was special.

@MatadorM9 2 ай бұрын

Forget what I know about engines? Easy, I know almost nothing lol Very nice explanation!

@csrivishnureddy 2 ай бұрын

The thing about no air seals was pretty well told, I was searching for it

@user-cp9sl9hg6f 5 ай бұрын

This man should be president of General Electric.

@MRrwmac 5 жыл бұрын

Simple but effective. Good explanation. I’ve always found these, the steam engine and the hit and miss engines very interesting!

@tsbrownie 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I have always been fascinated with engines also. These are particularly interesting with their ability to function with such a small temperature difference.

@mikearst2940 3 жыл бұрын

@@tsbrownie I just purchased a rudimentary version-it was cheap, I guess because it's all plastic except for a thin metal plate covering the plastic on the bottom surface. Cute little device. The part of this I haven't grasped yet: the impeller begins moving downward while the piston isn't yet finished with its up-stroke. This becomes clear if you run the video at 1/4 speed and then tap the "K" key on your keyboard twice in succession, as quickly as you can, to start and stop the video (this gives you about 1/10th (?) of a second's worth of the video at a time). Is it merely the weight of the impeller that causes it to move downward while the piston is still in its up-stroke?

@tsbrownie 3 жыл бұрын

@@mikearst2940 Yes, it's the fly wheel that keeps it moving during the non-power part of the cycle.

@mikearst2940 3 жыл бұрын

@@tsbrownie But the impeller is not connected mechanically to the flywheel-so I'm perplexed by what is sending the impeller downward when the piston is still in its up-stroke.

@tsbrownie 3 жыл бұрын

@@mikearst2940 I think I'm confused about what you mean by the impeller-is there another name for that part? All the moving parts are connected through the flywheel via the crankshaft. There is the small power piston, the large displacer piston, 2 connecting rods, 1 crankshaft, and the flywheel.

@johnkasza4024 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so very much. I got a Stirling engine model as a gift and looking for how it works. Excellent and simple explanation of a simple engine concept. This is so much better than other explanations on KZfaq.

@tsbrownie 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. One of the reasons I made it is because I wanted to know how it actually works and many internet explanations ranged from being plain wrong to being fuzzy. So after a lot of research I got it clear in my head, explained it to my teen son, then thought other people might want to know also. I'm glad to know it was helpful. It's why I make these videos, 'cause it sure ain't for the money!

@Chbucha 2 жыл бұрын

Your explanation is so much better, than that other one you referenced. Great job!!

@raymondbulloch6949 Жыл бұрын

Excellent, no nonsense explanation. Well done and thanks.

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@donvanvliet9477 8 ай бұрын

Brilliant description. All the others I looked at the presenter just wanted to show off about how much they thought they knew about physics, but they didn't actually explain it and that includes Wikipedia. Well Done!

@tsbrownie 8 ай бұрын

Thank you. I have a pending rant about "professional" youtubers who generate slick content without doing the underlying work of providing facts/information.

@buttaflyski 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for drawing the comparison to an AC compressor because that's what made me look this video up in the first place!!! I'm trying to better understand how the pistons connect because I've been asking myself what if the chamber had refrigerant instead of just regular air? If you heat that couldn't it overcome the low torque problem that keeps Stirling engines from seeing mainstream practical application?

@tsbrownie 2 ай бұрын

NASA uses these in some of their space tech. They use another working gas which is much more efficient. I don't know for sure, but I'd guess that one of the standard refrigerants would work better than air (in normal temperature situations). Again I don't know for sure, but I think that the higher the temperature difference between the hot and cold sides would give more torque. Not sure this thing would ever be a torque monster and most will not self-start.

@redfinance3403 Жыл бұрын

Great video! Straight to the point!

@sleepingeye 2 жыл бұрын

Thank You for this clear explanation!

@tsbrownie 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@charlesmounts4927 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for that breakdown!! I actually understood your video and you’re 💯 right on it not working anything like an internal combustion engine works, all but the crank and piston! I’m an ASE certified MASTER tech and all these other videos just confused me more!! Thanks again on this video.

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

Thank you. Glad it was useful.

@Canada_eh_syrup Жыл бұрын

I found this extremely helpful so thank you 😃

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

You are welcome.

@Canada_eh_syrup Жыл бұрын

: )

@tiagorodrigues9886 5 ай бұрын

Amazing explanation!

@tsbrownie 5 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@joevignolor4u949 Жыл бұрын

It seems that the key to understanding a Stirling engine is to realize that unlike a conventional 4 cycle engine a Stirling has two power strokes instead of just one. The power piston is pushed in one direction when the air is heated and then pulled in the opposite direction when the air is cooled. This way power is produced on both the upward and downward stroke. All the displacer piston does is shuffle the same air back and forth between the hot side and the cold side to alternately push the power piston up or pull it back down.

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

True with this model. There are others that are closed systems, and as 1 commenter pointed out, they will work in a vacuum. This one, not so much. ;) What I find interesting is how they move 1 "packet" of heat from warm to cold with each stroke. It's almost digital.

@donvanvliet9477 8 ай бұрын

The piston doesn't get 'pulled'. It still gets 'pushed' but from the other direction.

@whimbur Жыл бұрын

Stirling engines are so fascinating

@prahlad7191 Жыл бұрын

After a long time i found the working. Thanks man

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

You are welcome.

@vvv331 Жыл бұрын

that was surprisingly easy to understand. deserves a like 👍

@AngelEspinosa-sj4li Жыл бұрын

Thank you a lot. Hope you are well and you helped me save my grades in high school Lots of hugs!

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

Good to hear! Thanks.

@AngelEspinosa-sj4li Жыл бұрын

Thank you!@@tsbrownie

@bethannesgarden 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much! This was great!

@pranavbhagwat405 9 ай бұрын

This is the best and correct explanation 👍

@Nafinafnaf Жыл бұрын

Omg i finally know now!! I always knew how steam and internal combustion worked but never the stirling engine, thank you for this video i now know!

@jasona716 11 ай бұрын

Thank you!! A really clear description of what's going on 👍

@dazingamaine4318 Ай бұрын

thanks. when you said child science teacher my first thought was what a kid became a science teacher? XD

@phillippi2 8 ай бұрын

It should be noted; most later steam engine cars did use a modified version of a low temperature differential stirling engine. But, it was not used to power the car; only to turn the drive wheels. Jay Leno, in his video going over the 1925 Doble E 20, uses a cutaway chassis which shows how the car works. You can see the stirling engine and its two pistons in that video.

@tsbrownie 8 ай бұрын

I have to go watch that video. Thanks.

@sureshkumarn8733 3 ай бұрын

Superb...❤❤❤

@johnblazer7661 Жыл бұрын

So theoretically, if you were to place an ice cube on the metal plate the engine is mounted on, it would go faster?

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

Yes and in one of my videos I did that.

@dennisjohnson8753 9 ай бұрын

Good explanation

@szkoclaw Жыл бұрын

Thanks, beautifully explained.

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it

@bigboss-tl2xr 7 ай бұрын

Awesome explanation, SUBSCRIBED!

@tsbrownie 7 ай бұрын

Thanks and welcome.

@johnfarris6152 6 ай бұрын

🥶I've seen videos on how they work and that's what I got out of it I wonder if putting a fan on the flywheel would act like a turbo though. You can also run it on ice.

@madoogun3481 Жыл бұрын

thank you

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

You are welcome.

@the_real_foamidable 5 жыл бұрын

Well done.

@tsbrownie 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you.

@michaeldoucette943 Жыл бұрын

Thank-you for this !!!!

@king_james_official 16 күн бұрын

you're awesome!!!!!

@gbh5398 11 ай бұрын

Thanks! Good explanation!

@redtomahawk0 4 жыл бұрын

Now I understand it enough to know how it works. But I don’t understand it enough to build one. Lol but thank you

@Granato787 11 ай бұрын

So how would you scale it up to power a train? Would the hot air in the chamber also be able to push much havier materials like wood or steal? Would the romans have been able to build something like this with available materials of that time?

@tsbrownie 11 ай бұрын

Interesting questions. The torque is very low, so it would probably not be ideal for a train. It might work, but would not be financially feasible. I think the Romans may have been able to make it, as the tech is not beyond average hand tools and plain metals. The heavier materials would not make much difference anywhere other than the displacer. The displacer could be made with bamboo or similar.

@Granato787 11 ай бұрын

@@tsbrownie awesome! Thank you! Cesar will be mighty impressed when I build one in my imagination tonight

@tsbrownie 11 ай бұрын

@@Granato787 Give him my regards. Let him know that his month is my favorite!

@joethornton3575 Жыл бұрын

Nothing to lose go for it experience knowledge

@josephr5034 5 жыл бұрын

Can you tackle the Crookes radiometer next? Oliver Heaviside spoke about Crooks and how he provided some sleight-of-hand of how his device actually works. If everything is essentially spinning, atmospheric pressure; heat one way, and cold another then both the heat and cold are spinning in different directions and moving the air in those directions along with it. Different colored lights as well have different spinning pressures that are transferred through the medium to the device.

@SurajGrewal 5 жыл бұрын

I guess cody's lab or thunderfoot has already covered it.

@josephr5034 5 жыл бұрын

@@SurajGrewal yes they have and they are still clueless as to how it works. They are repeaters of others and knowers of nothing.

@tsbrownie 5 жыл бұрын

I used to have one. I will have to look into getting another and do my homework on it so I don't repeat the same old stuff. Thanks for the idea.

@tsbrownie 4 ай бұрын

I finally got it done! Enjoy! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/meCCfst9ntimo3U.html

@todorpetkov6525 7 ай бұрын

So if you hold your hand let's say, on the top plate to heat it up, the process will stop because there won't be a 'cold side' to suck the piston up? Or the wheel might slow down?

@tsbrownie 7 ай бұрын

As the top and bottom temperatures get closer together (as there's less difference), it will slow down then stop. All heat engines operate on the difference between two places. Internal combustion, steam engines, etc. will also slow then stop as the difference in temperature between atmosphere (the heat sink) and the combustion chamber (cylinder or boiler) decrease.

@Silverburstnelson 4 жыл бұрын

OMG YES I GET IT THANK YOU ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

@DubiousFIN Жыл бұрын

it seems quite Inefficient but it was good enough to be used In submarines I still wonder how they can function under water with that limited air supply and what kind of heating method they use for it there since gasoline engines would fill the air with exhaust which limited other engines

@sr.trolling Жыл бұрын

I immediately understood it within 30 seconds

@crapstirrer 11 ай бұрын

It runs off a small temperature difference. So you could run it with an ice cube sitting on the top plate?

@tsbrownie 11 ай бұрын

I've done that, so yes. Some people have tuned them to run on the heat from their hands!

@rogerfreeman6787 Жыл бұрын

I'm surprised the heat transfer can happen in such a short time.

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

I thought the same thing. I think that's also the major limitation on how much power it can produce.

@benniedonald 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for breaking this down. If you need torque this is probably not the best way to get it. So this is basically the mechanical version of a hot air balloon. Or am I so confused that I think I'm buying cattle from a chicken farm??

@tsbrownie 4 жыл бұрын

Actually I had a friend who had a cattle farm that sold chickens, so... A little like a hot air balloon in that the warmer air expands. It operates by expanding and contracting of the working gas (air in this case, but it can be freon or such). In this example, when the big piston (displacer) is up, most of the air is near the cup where it gets hot and expands. The pressure inside the chamber increases and pushes the little piston up. That forces the wheel around and the displacer then moves down moving the hot air up against the relative cold upper surface. There the air contracts and the little piston is sucked down. That causes the displacer to move back up and the air moves back against the hot surface. And then it repeats.

@lawfpv Жыл бұрын

I am enlightened

@user-zq6yz5gf6d Жыл бұрын

I just found out about these and now i really want one 🤣

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

I keep buying different types that get put in the kitchen, much to my wife's dismay.

@M15115 7 ай бұрын

About the turning wheel going the opposite direction, if ice water is applied at the bottom wouldnt the “piston” go up and down in the same way? 😵‍💫 I understand the heat would be drawn from above, but wouldn’t the puck still have the same motion ? 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

@tsbrownie 7 ай бұрын

The piston and displacer are not 180 degrees apart.

@airplanegeorge Ай бұрын

I'm watching that same engine rune right now, still not clear how it works. how does that piston seal?

@tsbrownie Ай бұрын

The big piston is a displacer and it is not sealed. It's job is to slosh the air back and forth so it can heat and cool. The small piston is a glass syringe and it supplies the power. It is sealed.

@philliplehaase8457 4 ай бұрын

If I had a giant one of these made in the earth deep enough would the natural temp of the earth be warm enough co pared to surface temp?

@tsbrownie 4 ай бұрын

People have refined them to run from the heat of a hand. You just need a temperature difference, the more the better. So yes.

@joethornton3575 Жыл бұрын

Would like to try and make one

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

Post a link if you do. I want to see it!

@joethornton3575 Жыл бұрын

@@tsbrownie 84 but will do given time it's realy winter work thank you

@kevinjaison4734 Жыл бұрын

Doubt.. so the engine works, due to the heat from the cup of hot water. So would it mean, that when the heat of the water eventually runs out, would the engine stop working? Im planning to make this for a project

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

Yes. Heat engines work because of the difference between input and output temperatures. An ICE with a combustion temperature of 1200c would not run on a planet with temps of 1200c. I have other Stirling videos where the engines use much higher temperature differences. Same principle, but different implementation.

@schlirf 10 ай бұрын

So, theoretically (always wanted to say that!): A Stirling, combined with a "Sand Battery", could produce electricity for off grid residences?

@tsbrownie 10 ай бұрын

They will run off of lower grade heat. They are not high torque. In theory it would work. In Europe Philips sold a Stirling engine that would power a radio. It ran by setting on top of a wood stove.

@schlirf 10 ай бұрын

@@tsbrownie Drats! Foiled again!

@diiineevv 20 күн бұрын

Can I possibly modify it to generate usable energy

@tsbrownie 20 күн бұрын

@diiineevv I don't know about this one, but a long time ago, Philips made one you put on your stove to power a radio they sold.

@Albertkallal Жыл бұрын

Any explain as to why the engine don't work in either direction - depending on what way you spin it to start? Why would it care or only work in one direction?

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

If you look at the crankshaft, the angle between the 2 cranks is not 180 degrees. If you try to spin it the wrong way, the timing between the pistons is off.

@Albertkallal Жыл бұрын

@@tsbrownie Thank you kindly. as noted, one probably could have a design in which the offset is 1/2, and it would work (either direction), but not so well. In fact, I suspect that the "timing" of that offset could be changed for a given speed - kind of like timing on a car!!!! but, as you note, since the offset is timed, not by 1/2, then yes, of course the off-set will matter, and thus the power stroke vs displacer offset matters then. And thus as a result, the direction the engine runs will matter. Again, thank you kindly.

@dimjim2365 Жыл бұрын

Thank you, I think I understand now. Ha.

@DRAWKCABLLA 6 ай бұрын

that teacher was likely bill nye the science guy

@YeOldeTowneCryer Жыл бұрын

So it still needs and external source of heat. If that created by solar, it would truly be emission free. You would need to have a means to trap the heat of the sun and use it to operate that engine and it could even run after dark. A small tank of propane could serve as a back up.

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

Funny you should mention that. I've got an unused solar panel that's fed to the back porch. Been thinking about using it to charge a battery / warm a resistor to power this thing day and night.

@ganeshn3800 4 жыл бұрын

So, how air get supplied to cylinder?

@tsbrownie 4 жыл бұрын

It is the same air. It just expands and contracts with temperature change.

@lyledressler6874 3 жыл бұрын

@@tsbrownie i was trying to understand the valve system...but there are no valves... i bought one..it worked for a short time ,then died... trying to build a large one ...

@tsbrownie 3 жыл бұрын

@@lyledressler6874 Right, no valves. In fact some industrial models use other gases in a sealed system. I understand the tricky part of making one is getting the ratio of big cylinder to small cylinder right. Make a video of your machine and leave a link, I'd like to see it.

@lyledressler6874 3 жыл бұрын

@@tsbrownie exactly right... thats what i am trying to calculate to get the greatest torque value...trying to do a engine using steel barrels

@tsbrownie 3 жыл бұрын

@@lyledressler6874 I **definitely** want to see that!!!

@Morsmalleo 5 ай бұрын

Are these engines used today or no????

@tsbrownie 5 ай бұрын

You can buy them. NASA uses them in space. There are other applications that are special.

@Morsmalleo 5 ай бұрын

@@tsbrownie cool 😎 thanks for the reply 😁

@michaeld8980 Жыл бұрын

Can this be used as a steampunk CPU cooler???????? that would be literally the most awesome thing ever!!!!!!!

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

You mean to turn a fan? Probably.

@gicchh 7 ай бұрын

how does the air not go out

@tsbrownie 7 ай бұрын

The tolerances are very close, so any leakage is small.

@gicchh 7 ай бұрын

@@tsbrownie so it will never turn into vacuum you mean?

@tsbrownie 7 ай бұрын

@@gicchh I'm not sure what you mean. Will this operate in a vacuum? No. But NASA uses Stirling engines in space that are sealed.

@gicchh 7 ай бұрын

@@tsbrownie i mean is the engine sealed airtight or does it always circulate fresh air?

@tsbrownie 7 ай бұрын

@@gicchh This engine is not sealed airtight. But the leaks are so small that it does not affect the operation much.

@ID-8491 Жыл бұрын

Silent?

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

Very quiet.

@alightinthedarkages9494 5 ай бұрын

Such a wonderful, useless device. I own three. 😊

@adamw8469 Жыл бұрын

Put it on ice and it runs backwards

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

I did that: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/oamSmbmYp93aZoU.html

@Albertkallal Жыл бұрын

@@tsbrownie Any explain as to why the engine runs only in one direction? Why would it care? Should not what direction you start (spin) the device determine which direction it will continue to operate? and as noted, putting a ice on top helps, and in fact putting the whole thing on a block of ice also works, but results in the device turning in opposite direciton. I grasp how the engine works, but what I don't grasp is why it only wants to turn in one direction? Perahps the displacer is not offset by 1/2, and thus "timing" matters here. this suggests a design could be made that works in either direction, but would not work as well as one with a "timed correctly or timed better displacer offset). However, I still can't grasp why the engine wants to go only in one direction? Why would it care? Either way, the gas expands due to heat, pushes the piston up. So, why then does direction you spin, or better stated, why does turnings direction matter here?

@williamwilliam5066 9 ай бұрын

Pointless though isn't it? It takes energy to heat the water, and any energy created b the flywheel will be less than that put in to make the water hot. So. Pointless. Unless you use geothermal I guess.

@tsbrownie 9 ай бұрын

Geothermal, solar, waste heat from burning gas/coal, etc. These are very efficient and can operate on very low temperature differences. Some people have tuned them to operate on the heat from their hands.

@Clover-qz8nl 2 ай бұрын

Thank youuuu for your great work on this project 🫶 it’s really useful 🍀 I hope to see more of your work ♾️ keep it up 👍

@tsbrownie 2 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@jestnutz Жыл бұрын

So hot gases are transfered into mechanical energy? I'm also interested in the fly wheel as I can see there looks like a counter weight working with it

@tsbrownie Жыл бұрын

The gas in the chamber is heated and cooled by the hot water. Any heat source will work as long as it does not melt the materials.