Comments on: Simple Stirling 1 Plans and Assembly drawings http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/ Simulate, analyze, design, build, and test solar-powered engines Sat, 04 Sep 2010 06:11:51 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: gargoyle http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/comment-page-1/#comment-164 gargoyle Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:17:00 +0000 http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/#comment-164 Many thanks for the advice. It will be my workmanship somewhere along the line. Will double check the areas you suggested. Cheers .... Gar (australia) Many thanks for the advice. It will be my workmanship somewhere along the line. Will double check the areas you suggested.

Cheers …. Gar (australia)

]]> By: admin http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/comment-page-1/#comment-163 admin Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:15:18 +0000 http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/#comment-163 In my experience, there are only two likely reasons for the engine not running (assuming you are applying an adequate amount of heat): (1) Too much friction: With the ABS displacer cover off you should be able to spin the crankshaft and it should coast for several revolutions before stopping. When you close the engine up it will not turn as freely due to compression and air friction, but the displacer must not contact the side. I try for about 1/16 inch clearance around the displacer. Make sure the displacer doesn't contact anything at the top or bottom of its stroke too. (2) Air leaks. If you've built this engine according to plans, the most likely area for a leak problem is where the ABS cover seals against the cold plate. The material I suggested gives me a good seal with just finger-tight turning of the hold-down nuts. If you don't have the material I suggest, try to find something around 1/16 inch thick that is a fairly soft. The piston crank pin should be offset 90 degrees from the displacer crank pin. It doesn't need to be too precise; A few degrees off will not cause a problem. In my experience, there are only two likely reasons for the engine not running (assuming you are applying an adequate amount of heat):
(1) Too much friction: With the ABS displacer cover off you should be able to spin the crankshaft and it should coast for several revolutions before stopping. When you close the engine up it will not turn as freely due to compression and air friction, but the displacer must not contact the side. I try for about 1/16 inch clearance around the displacer. Make sure the displacer doesn’t contact anything at the top or bottom of its stroke too.
(2) Air leaks. If you’ve built this engine according to plans, the most likely area for a leak problem is where the ABS cover seals against the cold plate. The material I suggested gives me a good seal with just finger-tight turning of the hold-down nuts. If you don’t have the material I suggest, try to find something around 1/16 inch thick that is a fairly soft.

The piston crank pin should be offset 90 degrees from the displacer crank pin. It doesn’t need to be too precise; A few degrees off will not cause a problem.

]]> By: gargoyle http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/comment-page-1/#comment-162 gargoyle Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:24:13 +0000 http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/#comment-162 Thanks for supplying the plans. The engine looks good but i have not succeeded in getting it to crank over yet and still deliberating just where i went wrong. Hmmm my ABS fitting must be a metric not imperial 3" :-( .... lol. Is it possible to know how much clearance generally is needed between the displcer and the wall of the ABS connector fitting? How many degrees is the piston crankpin offset to the displacer crankpin for best timing from power piston TDC ? Cheers ... Gar Thanks for supplying the plans. The engine looks good but i have not succeeded in getting it to crank over yet and still deliberating just where i went wrong.

Hmmm my ABS fitting must be a metric not imperial 3″ :-( …. lol. Is it possible to know how much clearance generally is needed between the displcer and the wall of the ABS connector fitting?

How many degrees is the piston crankpin offset to the displacer crankpin for best timing from power piston TDC ?

Cheers … Gar

]]> By: admin http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/comment-page-1/#comment-124 admin Mon, 23 Mar 2009 03:01:39 +0000 http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/#comment-124 The displacer and displacer shaft when assembled in the engine but not connected should move freely up and down. If you push it up with your finger and then let it float down it should do so with just its own weight in roughly one second. If it doesn't come down under its own weight or does so very slowly (>2 seconds) then you need to give it more clearance and make sure the shaft is sliding freely in the brass tube. The displacer and displacer shaft when assembled in the engine but not connected should move freely up and down. If you push it up with your finger and then let it float down it should do so with just its own weight in roughly one second. If it doesn’t come down under its own weight or does so very slowly (>2 seconds) then you need to give it more clearance and make sure the shaft is sliding freely in the brass tube.

]]> By: Markus Hehlen http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/comment-page-1/#comment-123 Markus Hehlen Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:02:13 +0000 http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/#comment-123 Just finished building "Stirling 1" from the excellent plans provided here. I find that there is quite a lot of resistance with the displacer diameter given in the plans. The gap between the displacer and the ABS tube seems to be just a bit too small so that air turbulences provide too much friction. Should I reduce the diameter of the displacer a bit? Have you had similar experiences? Just finished building “Stirling 1″ from the excellent plans provided here. I find that there is quite a lot of resistance with the displacer diameter given in the plans. The gap between the displacer and the ABS tube seems to be just a bit too small so that air turbulences provide too much friction. Should I reduce the diameter of the displacer a bit? Have you had similar experiences?

]]> By: DU http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/comment-page-1/#comment-53 DU Wed, 21 May 2008 12:11:07 +0000 http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/#comment-53 Oh wait, it looks like some of that at least is in the assembly drawings. Maybe I should read more carefully before I post. Oh wait, it looks like some of that at least is in the assembly drawings. Maybe I should read more carefully before I post.

]]> By: DU http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/comment-page-1/#comment-52 DU Wed, 21 May 2008 00:58:50 +0000 http://www.solarheatengines.com/2008/05/20/simple-stirling-1-plans-and-assembly-drawings/#comment-52 Looks really good. Although I hope the BOM will include what "stuff found at the hardware store" you started with. Then again, as long as you find something close it should work. I'm guessing the exact measurements of the non-attachment points on the crankshaft support, for example, aren't too critical. Looks really good. Although I hope the BOM will include what “stuff found at the hardware store” you started with.

Then again, as long as you find something close it should work. I’m guessing the exact measurements of the non-attachment points on the crankshaft support, for example, aren’t too critical.

]]>