Stirling Engine

A Stirling engine is a type of engine that converts heat energy into mechanical power by alternately compressing and expanding a fixed quantity of air or other gas (the working fluid) at different temperatures.

The engine is designed so that the working gas is generally compressed in the colder portion of the engine and expanded in the hotter portion resulting in a net conversion of heat into work. An internal Regenerative heat exchanger increases the Stirling engine's thermal efficiency compared to simpler hot air engines lacking this feature.

Stirling engine was invented by Reverend Dr. Robert Stirling in 1816, who was the father of famous locomotive engineers Patrick Stirling and James Stirling. The first Stirling engine put in to practical use was in 1818, which was used to pump water in a quarry

The below pictures display the #2 engine which i constructed using the drawings appeared in the Popular Science magazine in 1965.

Video of the Stirling Engine