Status of the Stirling

[Seeker]

As you may know, Stirling engines were invented well over 100 years ago, and since then have found limited use, but may soon 'come into their own'.

Some of the known glitches with Stirlings/Stirling production include :

-leakage of the working fluid (gas)
- need to maintain even temperatures during heat is transfer
- need for materials which can withstand extreme temperatures
- need for effective regenerators to recoup heat lost during operation
- need for a method of producing them at a low cost

( I know there are more...can you think of others ?)

1) Which areas do you think Deka's Stirling has improved upon at this point ?
2) Which areas do you think Deka is currently working on ?
3) Which areas do you believe may need to be worked on, in the future ?

Seeker

[ftropea]

Seeker - good thread...

I'm not a patent or Stirling expert, but from what I've read and heard about the patents, it seems Kamen as:

1) Developed a way to effectively seal the working gas - say helium. Now, was he able to do this because of new materials available today? Probably.. I don't know what the big development was, but I'd be curious to learn what the material is... how much of an area it has to seal.. etc..

2) I believe that the heat exchanger in Kamen's Stirling has been completely redesigned from typical Stirlings. I remember seeing a patent drawing showing a cylinder lined with fins or pins which the warn air would pass over. It could be cast as one piece, decreasing the cost of manufacturing it...

If Kamen has accomplished these goals, then I believe a marketable consumer product, say a small Stirling which could run one or two standard household appliances (say an AC and a lamp - or your entertainment center - or your tv on a picnic - or your Segway-HT!) would do very, very well. And if other manufactures began to intergrate them into their products - well, the rest would be history.

Regards,

Frank A. Tropea
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