Air Engines - The History, Science, and Reality of the Perfect Engine

Contents......Page 12
Dedication......Page 16
Foreword......Page 18
Preface......Page 20
Notation......Page 24
1.2 Classification......Page 28
1.3 The regenerator......Page 29
1.4 Furnace gas engines......Page 33
1.5 Ericsson engines......Page 38
2.1 The invention......Page 48
2.2 Working principle......Page 50
2.3 The patent......Page 51
2.4 Degenerate Stirling engines – double-cylinder types......Page 59
3.1 German air engines......Page 68
3.2 Heinrici, Bailey, and other variants......Page 71
3.3 The Rider engine......Page 76
4.1 The rediscovery......Page 82
4.2 Double-acting types......Page 85
4.3 Future possibilities......Page 87
4.4 Acknowledgements to the original four articles......Page 91
5.1 Now, where were we?......Page 92
5.2 Pre-Dark Ages......Page 93
5.3 End of the Dark Ages......Page 96
5.4 The ‘regenerator problem’......Page 97
5.5 A first physical model......Page 98
5.6.1 An early approach to regenerator design......Page 101
5.7 The SMF-Kroon engine......Page 105
5.8.3 Number of transfer units, NTU......Page 108
5.9 Schumann’s solution to the initial blow......Page 109
5.10 Interim summary......Page 111
6.2 What is the Stirling engine design problem?......Page 114
6.3 Fundamentals of thermal design......Page 115
6.4 Equivalence conditions......Page 117
6.5.1 Basic dimensional data......Page 121
6.5.2 Operating conditions......Page 122
6.5.3 Kinematics and volume variations......Page 124
6.5.4 Temperature ratio......Page 127
6.6.3 ‘Extra’ dead space......Page 128
6.7 Summary of fundamentals to date......Page 129
7.1 Synopsis......Page 132
7.2 The rhombic drive engines......Page 133
7.3 Sealing......Page 135
7.4 Multi-cylinder rhombic engines......Page 138
7.6 Back to thermodynamic design – via an anomaly......Page 139
8.1 What regenerator problem?......Page 144
8.2 Early part-solutions......Page 146
8.3 The makings of cycle analysis......Page 147
8.4 The advent of computer simulation......Page 150
8.5 A first fluid particle trajectory map......Page 151
8.6 Lateral thinking......Page 152
8.7 Air versus helium versus hydrogen......Page 154
9.2 The free-piston engine......Page 158
9.3 The fluidyne......Page 159
9.4 The Low ΔT variant......Page 161
9.5 The era of the computer......Page 164
9.6 Further advances by Philips......Page 166
9.7 Two UK initiatives......Page 168
9.8 More on similarity and scaling......Page 170
10.2 The task in perspective......Page 176
10.3 Pressure and flowrate......Page 179
10.4 Solution of the regenerator problem......Page 183
10.5 Gas circuit design by scaling......Page 185
10.6 Similarity principles and engine design......Page 186
10.7 A very un-scale model......Page 192
10.8 The study of the 1818 engine continued......Page 193
11.1 Regenerator analysis further simplified......Page 196
11.3 Flush ratio......Page 197
11.4.1 Temperature profile......Page 199
11.4.2 The ‘flush’ phase in perspective......Page 201
11.4.4 Matrix temperature swing......Page 203
11.5.1 Heat transfer and flow friction correlations......Page 204
11.6 Hydrodynamic pumping loss......Page 206
11.8 Optimum NTU......Page 208
11.9.2 NTU from mean cycle N[sub(re)]......Page 212
11.10 Evaluation of optimum NTU......Page 213
11.11 Implications......Page 218
11.12 Complete temperature solutions......Page 219
11.13 Thermodynamic study of the 1818 engine (continued)......Page 221
11.14 Interim deductions......Page 224
Appendix to Chapter 11......Page 225
12.1 An anomaly......Page 226
12.2 The 1818 engine and the regenerator......Page 227
12.3.1 A suitable expression for pumping loss......Page 232
12.3.2 The temperature solutions......Page 234
12.4 The alternative......Page 237
12.5 Résumé......Page 238
13.2 An air engine to challenge hydrogen and helium – the Viebach CHP unit......Page 240
13.3 A bold initiative from New Zealand......Page 241
13.4 Future of the 1818 concept......Page 244
13.5 A gas-powered, cordless hair drier?......Page 245
13.6 A shot in the dark......Page 252
14.1 Citation......Page 256
14.3 A task completed - or barely begun......Page 257
Appendix Literary output of Theodor Finkelstein......Page 260
References......Page 264
D......Page 280
E......Page 281
H......Page 282
O......Page 283
R......Page 284
S......Page 285
Z......Page 286
R......Page 287
Z......Page 288