Stirling Engine Workshop, August 22 – 25, 2011, London, UK
The Stirling Engine Workshop will be held August 22 – 25, 2011, London, UK. There is a lot of recent interest in the use of the Stirling engine due to its high efficiency. Stirling-cycle engines were invented in the beginning of 19th century and were commonly used until arrival of Otto cycle engine. Stirling engines are external combustion engines designed as sealed systems with an inert working fluid, usually either helium or hydrogen.
The workshop addresses the following technical challenges that have delayed adoption of Stirling engine technology:
- Low-leakage piston rings and bearings for operation in the unlubricated working engine space
- Long-term durability/reliability and high cost
- Shaft seals to separate the high pressure hydrogen space from the lubrication in the mechanical drive train
- Minimization of material stress and corrosion in the high temperature/high pressure heater head
- Blockage of fine-meshed heat matrices used in the regenerator assemblies with particles/fines generated through the rubbing action of piston rings
New materials and technologies may breathe new life into the Sterling engine which has unique advantages for applications in the space, auto and marine industries, as well as in distributed power applications.
