Stirling Engine Horizontal Engine - Dynameter Run - Part 13

[@oddzc]

Hope you build another one soon. Theres so little content available covering building large sterling engines. Its super interesting and useful! Good job

[@ShanePomeroy]

Yes, I think I will. I've got some ideas to try out. Watch this space...

[@mytickets]

ockums Stirling AIP system in a submarine Have a look at the EuroDISH system, Almería

[@mytickets]

EuroDISH system, Almería

[@GiesbertNijhuis]

I have never seen how one can measure the power of a motor. Thanks for showing!

[@trahytetrahyte1074]

About 200W at atmospheric pressure is a great result! Can't wait to see result with more than atmospheric pressure pumped to the engine ;).

[@stevesavage8784]

You have just taught me why torque is also called brake horsepower!

[@danoseus]

I love this measuring idea!

[@joelcecil4900]

Fantastic job! This is super encouraging to me. - I’ve never built a working engine, but I’ve studied them with fascination since I was a kid (especially steam engines). One thing that gives steam huge amounts of power is its 1000:1 expansion ratio at atmosphere. For added power in a stirling I’d suggest a double-action power-cylinder design (similar to a steam locomotive). The more common single-action stirling is often limited to near atmospheric pressure to power the return stroke. On the other hand, a double-action cylinder (with a second heat-exchanger & displacer-cylinder to power the return stroke) could have vastly more power. Also, a few things about energy losses… 1. Heat: You might try getting some infrared imaging to visualize any heat losses, then add insulation as needed. 2. Vibrations: Even with firm mounts/anchors etc, those intense vibrations will rob you of energy and wear out your bearings and seals. Careful balancing with counterweights can minimize this. 3. Friction: Wherever practical ball bearings and roller bearings are always preferred. Also recommend careful alignment of all bearings/pivots, and hardening/polishing all rolling and sliding surfaces. An oil system of some kind might also help. Again, great job! All the best to you, JT

[@ShanePomeroy]

Hi JT, I originally wanted to build a steam engine but the cost and pressure testing / coding, etc was to much. A double acting stirling engine would be the holy grail! Higher power density per size and it is a balanced system so can be pressurised. I just need to work out a way to successfully seal it so its reliable (the main thing that has stopped progress commercially!) Thankyou for your comments on energy losses! I need to be constantly reminded when I'm designing things to pay more attention! Good idea about the IR gun. Tune in for the next engine over the next few months (after I've done more DIY to keep my dearest happy!) Cheers

[@raylawrence1]

Congratulations Shane on a magnificent build. I can hardly believe those low power figures you came up with your latest engine which looks very effective. I had considered that the Stirling cycle might be better suited to operation at lower R.P.M. The thinking being that the medium of energy transfer, being air in this case, requires time to absorb/release. i.e. large volume cylinders working at low R.P.M. might give more time for the transfer to take place and thus prove more efficient. Something reminiscent of those early Newcomen pioneer steam/atmospheric engines working at extremely low working pressures. Well done Shane, keep up the good work, the world is watching !

[@ShanePomeroy]

Hi Ray, thankyou for your comments. Funny enough this engine is my most powerful so far when comparing displacement. The displacement isn't really very big compared to the size of the engine. I had to reduce it somewhat during development to get the compression ratio down so it would run. Given another shot I would have increased the displacement as well as the heater / cooler size. I like the idea of a slow running engine with good heat transfer. I'm still experimenting with the best configuration. The next engine is going to have diaphragm seals! All the best

[@IronGoober]

Amazing. I like to think about how much work you put into this to get to this point. What a great series!!!

[@dennis-nz5im]

Actually very scientific. Somewhat crude but effective

[@FrankensteinDIYkayak]

great skills at improvising

[@Майстер-э3ъ]

Дуже гарна робота велекобретанія супер

[@stevenjohnson5967]

Absolutely brilliant. I'd like to see you add more cylinders to it to really capitalize on your heat source. Great work!

[@LeoLeoJR]

Very cool project. Nice to see new improvements and progress. Keep going !

[@kcinelgoog]

1/4 horse is pretty good going I reckon. If you have figures for swept volume (varies with phase angle on an alpha) and temperatures, you could calculate the Beale number to see how it stacks up against other engines.

[@ShanePomeroy]

I'll try and work out the Beale number..... Informed comment about alpha phase angles! Cheers

[@ahmedsaliherel]

Stunning work! As you know in stirling engines its not the heat what gives the power, but the temparature difference. So you can try cooling the piston with liquid nitrogen, which would make this machine an absolute monster. That would be very interesting to watch.

[@TheBaconWizard]

1/4 hp is really quite respectable when you look at some of the vintage ones. I am curious about what improvements/changes you would make in a future design; I could really see me putting one to use burning coppiced wood for power some day.

[@ShanePomeroy]

Hi, improvements for next time, bigger heat/cooler surfaces, hot and cold side further apart. I'm looking at an opposed twin next time, just need to work out the best way to do the linkages. I'm planning on experimenting with diaphragm seals too.

[@ericlotze7724]

Given 1hp=4 Horses, doesn’t this mean you have made a proper “1 Horse Engine” ?!? 🤣

[@ShanePomeroy]

@@ericlotze7724 is that nominal horse power ? 😁

[@ambermin5442]

Great experiment! I am looking forward to build one myself! I intend to make one of abt 5 kw to power a generator.

[@ta4h1r2]

Great work Shane. I'm a huge fan ☺

[@emil.honganmaki5461]

A really good result, it would be around 15A when charging a 12v battery

[@HvdHaghen]

Could you heat the machine with electricity? Because then you know how many watts you put in, and how much comes out, so you know the efficiency. I bought a ceremic band heater to test my Stirling engine.

[@ShanePomeroy]

Yes I probably could do that ... 🤔

[@dieguerrero]

Those are excellent numbers congratulation!! Great work!! I'm sure you can get more out of it. Have you considered balancing the engine? All the shacking of the frame are energy leaks that are being dissipated instead of doing work. Can't wait for the next video!!!

[@marciacunningham5877]

Seems the power to weight ratio is quite low. I wonder how this could be increased. It's nice to see this machine working. Michael

[@peterclancy3653]

Great engine

[@RyanJBarnard]

Have you considered building a NASA Stirling Engine with diaphragm or a thermo-acoustic engine using rice and a diaphragm. I was thinking that some recycled 55 gallon oil drums could be used for the cylinder and the diaphragm can be made out of pond liner and shaped with a heat gun to shape it and set the piston throw length. As for the heating element I was thinking that you could build a vertical access wind generator that uses the power to a resistor element coiled around the cylinder in a sand battery that will consistently retain heat and power the engine with a water cooling jacket around the top half of the cylinder with heat sink fins around the water jacket to aid in cooling and maintaining the heat difference. Just an idea.

[@ShanePomeroy]

Hi, I think the NASA engines are a little hi tech for me : ). I am going to try building a diaphragm engine next... cheers

[@CNCmachiningisfun]

Jolly good show, byjoves :) .

[@StanislavZachazevski]

Congratuliations. I lost the bet. :)

[@ShanePomeroy]

Not really! I've changed hell of a lot to get it working! Thanks for your help. I fancy building a diaphragm engine next...... Hope your projects are going well

[@StanislavZachazevski]

@@ShanePomeroy truck brake diaphragm ? If you want - i can anodise 100mm or150mm alunium tubing and make some graphite-ptfe lip piston rings. Pick-up delivery.

[@digger105337]

Even IC engines have horsepower and torque curves, mabey that's just the mechanisms natural harmonic as it's currently configured. Different piston size, connecting rod length ect, may be needed to increase the efficiency.

[@tbabbittt]

It looks like it has a sweet spot around 350 probably because of the flywheel. Where do you fit the salt rub turkey for roasting?

[@MadeleineTakam]

Really impressed with your ingenuity and calculations. Am I correct in presuming Maximum torque at 200 RPM and Maximum power at 350 RPM or am I missing something?

[@dennis-nz5im]

Use a large resistance bank and heat sink , and a variable field alternator for load . You can then lose your calculations for watts and just measure your electrical system

[@gerhardlesch3615]

Unknown losses in electrical system. I prefer the measurements of a mechanical system according to first principles.

[@KravchenkoAudioPerth]

@@gerhardlesch3615 Much smaller unknown losses than in this mechanical system. You have oscillation in the clamping setup, and glazing on the brake rubbers. That is enormous uncounted losses versus the diode resistance losses and voltage drop over the three phase diode bridge. Those electrical losses are known and easily measurable via a decent multimeter. Mark

[@zinckensteel]

@@KravchenkoAudioPerth He used such a setup on his previous engine, but this time around he just wanted some relative measures of performance, not absolute power numbers.

[@jimmyboy163]

Great job!! I was expecting more from such a great running engine. I've seen your motorcycle in the background... I just got a new lifan xp mini and it was stolen a week later from a locked garage!!! Soooo disappointed 😞

[@ShanePomeroy]

Sorry to hear about your bike 🫤. Atmospheric Stirling engines are simply low power. I've got quite a few ideas for another one to make it better 👍

[@kallakrastev769]

That is great. Can you attach smaller flywhell to yours , and multiplay the RPMs and the output power on the second one?

[@mattharvey8712]

Bravo......mom would say ....oil the parts.......cheers

[@drsatan3231]

Great project but considering the results, I think you should try a different approach. I think theres not enough of a heat difference in your design and your using lots of fuel. Much more than you'd need to if you had a high heat difference My advice is to include a heat battery type storage method to hold the heat around the hot side, riddled with a bunch of those new copper heat transfer tubes that sits on top of a series of candles in a sealable box. You could make a little candle reactor with a fuel tank, temperature sensors, sliding oxygen door that can be closed to starve the flame if too hot. Electric spark to light if too cold For cooling I suggest either water cooling or you make a custom heatsink and paint it using thermal cooling paint or a combination of both

[@ShanePomeroy]

Hi, Yes I think you are correct. I got so caught up in other aspects of the design I neglected important points! I've done enough to get it working (just about) but there is a lot of wasted potential in the design I like the heat battery idea, I'll do a search to see how that might be incorporated into a burner. I want to stick with biomass / wood so it is an off grid option. I think I've learn 't from this design and have a better idea of what's needed when I build a new one. This time I want to present the design to hear peoples opinions before I start cutting metal. All the best

[@drsatan3231]

@ShanePomeroy you could use your current heater to heat a thick copper bar that you bend through a box of steel filled with sand for heat battery Then have smaller copper bars that protrude from the battery so you can deliver heat to the stirling I can't stress enough that cooling is yours biggest issue though. You need something like a heatsink for the cold side and you need to be able to run water through/over it because the longer it runs if you don't the hotter the cold side gets and the efficiency you end up with A ram pump would be a good way to accomplish that off grid

[@drsatan3231]

​@@ShanePomeroy I might also suggest you attempt to prevent thermal heat transfer from the hot to cold pipe by using bronze for the engine housing, as it has a much lower thermal conductivity than iron or steel and will survive the stresses of a running engine just fine

[@BigRedRocketScience]

So half the power of the big 4 cyl.? Ha, just messing with you. Very cool series, subscribed. Is it too late to do the dynomometer experiment with the 1-way valve plugged? Whatever you come up with next, power a boat propeller!

[@ShanePomeroy]

Lol, I've just dismantled the dynameter and fed it into the fire : ). When I put my hand over the air intake the engine slows up. I think with the lowered the compression it now runs better with the snifter valve. A Stirling boat is on the hit list (when the design becomes small enough with enough power! It will!)

[@dennis-nz5im]

What caused the dip at 300?

[@zinckensteel]

Janky measurements undoubtedly; the thing started to shake around quite a bit at that point.

[@rogueart7706]

Man you have put a lot of work into this. I never believed that horse power tells the truth about an engine because RPMs are part of the equation. If a 5hp lawnmower engine was turning 100 rpms then the horsepower would not be 5, it would be much lower...the rating is based on a set operating rpm. Automobiles are the same way. Your engine might be just as powerful as a 5hp lawnmower if it was turning 6500 rpms. I would connect a genny to your engine and see how many amps the engine can push...maybe try different gear ratios....to me, that would be a more realistic test. I love this build...please keep us updated.

[@kcinelgoog]

Power = torque x speed

[@rogueart7706]

​@@kcinelgoog nope.... power is torque times RPM divided by 5252

[@kcinelgoog]

@@rogueart7706 OK, power is proportional to torque times RPM then! The constant depends on what units you are using.

[@MaxQ10001]

Wow, this has incredible low efficiency. How much energy do you bun? Probably 10,000 to 20,000 watts. A steam engine will easily give you 10% efficiency. A Stirling can achieve 40%, but for a home built, at least 20% should be a goal. So for this setup you should get out 2000-4000 watts. I really like your build. A lot of hard work has gone into it. But maybe time to go back to the drawing board and make a design that will use more of the heat. Keep up the good work 🙂

[@ShanePomeroy]

Would be interesting to do an efficiency test to find out 🤔. A very expensive Stirling engine built by a team of top engineers can return 40% efficiency. I suppose if the engine was positioned inside It would keep you warm as well😁.

[@zinckensteel]

@@ShanePomeroy Pshaw! Amatuers! I only get excited over >60% efficient Brayton cycle engines ;-)

[@jayc6992]

Hi sir. First let me say that is some excellent work you've done on this thing. Really impressive. I'm no expert, so forgive me if I have this wrong, but is it possible that you figured your correction factor backwards? You said you were getting ten pounds on the scale at 150 rpm and your pivet arm is longer than one foot. Based on your math, I'm estimating your correction factor at 2.475, which would equate to 24.5 foot pounds and .7 hp at 150 rpm. This should then be roughly 23.59 lb/ft and 1.57 hp at 350 rpm. Think of it like a long wrench, the longer it is, the less weight you'd have to hang on it to get the same torque. Ten pounds on a two foot bar = 20 pounds on a one foot bar. Once again, I'm no expert, so I'm sorry if I'm thinking about this all wrong.

[@ShanePomeroy]

Hello good sir, Many thanks for taking the time to watch my video I've got my final results in the description for that video. Would you be most kind and check that over for me to see if that checks out : ) Thankyou for questioning the results, I really appreciate it! I'm a do'er not a thinker! All the best

[@jayc6992]

I don't see anything in the comments. I did see your final results in the video, which is what I referenced in the last post. Would it be possible for you to post the actual scale readings and the length of your measurement arm from privet to scale?

[@ShanePomeroy]

@@jayc6992 The Length of arm from pivot to scale was 2 ft and my scale readings were doubled to give me ft/lbs. Ping me an email and I'll send them to you, cheers

[@jayc6992]

Oh I see why I was confused. In the video at 4:46 you say "ten pounds" at 150 rpm, but I see that was actually ounces. Sorry, I should have paid closer attention. Either way, very nice build and thanks for sharing it with us.

[@ShanePomeroy]

@@jayc6992 I'm not careful enough of what I say during these video's, cheers

[@gherkinisgreat]

Just out of interest are you planning on selling the designs at some point?

[@ShanePomeroy]

Hi, probably not for this one. Your welcome to have a look at what I do have, just email, cheers

[@gherkinisgreat]

@@ShanePomeroy Thank you very much! I'll be sure to

[@darnmartian9766]

Why don't you use an electric generator running off the engine then convert the wattage to horsepower

[@ShanePomeroy]

Yes, that would work. There would be a power loss on the belt and heat from the generator to take into account, cheers

[@HWJJSCHUMACHER]

MACH DAS MIT EINER WÄRMEPUMPE ::: UND ICH KAUFE DAS SOFORT