As many of you know, David will obtain a drafting certificate this coming May. His instructor wanted him to enter something in the Del Mar Fair (now technically called the San Diego County Fair) at the end of his first year of study, so he entered this: a second-year project. Now that his classes have started, he got the project back.
He took first place! He chose the Stirling engine for the entry. I thought I knew what a Stirling engine was, but upon looking it up I was wrong. A Stirling engine is a closed-cycle heat engine with a gaseous working fluid.
This means the gas that pushes the piston is permanently contained in the engine. It is driven by any external heat source, making if very adaptable to a variety of environments. All that is needed is a heat source and a heat sink.
It has been used in low power applications for nearly 200 years and continues to be improved. It has perfect theoretical efficiency though that has yet to be obtained. At the present time, Philips holds a number of patents related to the Stirling engine.
A Stirling engine cannot start up instantly - it needs to warm up. This is also true of external combustion engines. Striling engines are best used as constant speed engines.
David has done exceptionally well with his drafting classes and is anxious to put his skills to work.
That's really cool. I'm such a geek that i actually find technical drawings to be more esthetically pleasing than normal landscapes and portraits.
ReplyDeleteThis is great!! I know you must be so proud. Although I'm not into "mechanical" stuff, I can sure appreciate those illustrations.
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