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Eco Stirling Engine

Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 10:01 pm
by human.nature
hey everyone,
i just finished building the Eco Stirling Engine kit and, go figure, its not working. I've tried all the usual suspects, the crankshaft, the epoxy seal, but everything seems to be fine. What else should i look for? Is there a way I can test for a leak in the epoxy and know for sure? When uncovering the test port, and then re-covering the port I do not notice a change when rotating the disc, does this mean there is a gap in the seal?

Re: Eco Stirling Engine

Posted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 7:44 am
by robertvi
I'm not familiar with these engines but...

It could be that there's too much friction? Is there much resistance when you rotate the disk by hand? Maybe the parts just need to be rotated a bit to get them to loosen up.

I'm not sure what the test port is you refer to but, the way I would imagine to test for leaks is to disassemble the crank so you can access the two control rods by hand. Put it on a heat source and wait for it to warm up. Now move the displacer to the cold end (the air will move to the hot end). The power piston should move up. Now move the displacer to the hot end(the air will move to the cold end), the power piston should move down. If this does not happen, probably either the temperature difference between the hot and cold ends is too small, or there is some kind of leak. If it does happen, your problem is probably somewhere in the crank and flywheel.

Hope this helps!