This ultra low temperature-differential Stirling Engine will actually run on the heat of your hand! Place this beautiful precision engine on any warm surface and within a few minutes it’s chugging away. The engine runs whenever the temperatures of the top and bottom plates differ by more than about 10 degrees Celsius. Its upper black aluminum plate actually absorbs enough heat in direct sunshine to run on solar power. You can also try a cup of hot coffee, or even your computer monitor! By placing the engine on some ice cubes, it is even possible to drive the engine by the heat of the surrounding air in the room.
This is a great thermodynamic demonstration of air pressure change due to alternate heating and cooling. The main chamber has perspex sides, which allow you to see what is happening inside. When the large foam displacer (it is not a piston) moves up, the air is then in contact with the lower (warmer) plate, and the air expands. This drives the small piston in the centre of the top plate upwards. The displacer then moves down, causing the air to now be in contact with the upper (colder) plate. The air now cools and contracts, which causes the small piston to move down. As long as there is a temperature differential of over 10 degrees, your Stirling Engine will keep going!
This is not a kit – it comes fully assembled and ready to go.
