What can Stirling engines do for us?

1.They can be used as energy sources for HVDC generators. Stirling engines can easily & very naturally power van-de-graf/wimshurst type machines.

2. They can be used to generate high quality plasma either via electrostatic generators as described in the point above or indirectly by converting transmitted electrical power to plasma.

3. Stirling engines are better than any thermoelectric generator. Instead of relying upon material properties to convert heat to electricity it uses heat to perform mechanical work. Efficiency close to 30% is available in most designs & better engines can push past 40 & reach 50%. No solar energy system or a thermoelectric generator can ever hope to achieve those numbers. This property is especially imp. When you consider stirling engines can continue to generate power at night if energy can be provided. It's way easier to store heat than it is to store electricity.

4. Mechanical energy produced could have industrial uses in grinding & mixing stuff. Stirling engines can do everything a windmill could without dependence on wind(and if we think about it wind also flows because of heat difference between two areas,so when it does it is actually the stirling effect that is making it work.It should come as no surprise therefore that stirling engines can reach just about the same efficiencies as wind turbines). All that is needed is a heat difference. They combine the best of solar & wind energy machines.

5. They can also make very effective pumps for hydroelectric power and heat pumps for cooling needs.

The chief property that makes stirling engines invaluable is their versatility. They can perform just about any kind of work with heat.

Stirling engines may not be good for transportation & it's true they are bulky as compared to internal combustion engines but for stationary power generators they are more effective. They are lighter than wind turbines(essentially the engine is hollow from inside the only weight is the casing)They are not fussy about materials as solar cells or thermoelectric generators are.

The big question is who is going to make them work?Especially in a scenario when alternatives are dominating the market.

Notes

1. Stirling engines can be stacked. Horizontally just like solar panels are but also vertically in case space is limited. This is useful if stirling engines are driven from solar energy because then rows of stirling towers (about 5 story high) can be created to generate large amounts of energy much in the same way wind towers are created.

2. Stacked stirling engines can be connected by heat pipes; excess heat that would otherwise radiate out of the engine can be fed into the hot part of the stack above or by the side of the previous one. This however is an efficiency improvement & will only come into play once the systems have been deployed & are in operation.

3. Stirling engines can be created with materials that are as close to a black body as possible.This would allow the hot part of the engine to absorb max amount of heat. In case it is driven by solar energy absorption from the visible & IR part of the spectrum is possible.Similarly reflective surfaces can be created on the cold part to keep it cooler.

4. While it's true that stirling engines only need a high temperature difference to work efficiently rather than high temperatures it is unlikely they can perform well(for the specific case of energy generation from sun) in extremely cold areas like Siberia or in areas where winters dominate. A better choice would be wind turbines. Can material improvements be made for wind turbines as well with trade offs favoring longevity & ease of deployment in exchange for efficiency? Shorter towers(no higher than the tallest tree in the region),easier to make blades etc.

Stirling engine research opportunities

https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2024/11/stirling-engine-research-opportunities.html

Pneumatics versus stirling engine versus electrical engines

https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2024/11/pneumatics-versus-stirling-engine.html

The flower of the sun

https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-flower-of-sun.html

Low energy fabrication of a high strength layered ceramic composite for high temperature oxidative environments

https://akshatjiwannotes.blogspot.com/2024/12/low-energy-fabrication-of-high-strength.html

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Notes by Akshat Jiwan Sharma

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