Dedication
Foreword
Preface
Notation
Chapter 1 Air engines
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Classification
1.3 The regenerator
1.4 Furnace gas engines
1.5 Ericsson engines
Chapter 2 The Stirling engine
2.1 The invention
2.2 Working principle
2.3 The patent
2.4 Degenerate Stirling engines – double-cylinder types
Chapter 3 Later single cylinder engines
3.1 German air engines
3.2 Heinrici, Bailey, and other variants
3.3 The Rider engine
Chapter 4 Philips engines
4.1 The rediscovery
4.2 Double-acting types
4.3 Future possibilities
4.4 Acknowledgements to the original four articles
Chapter 5 ‘Modern knowledge’ … and all that
5.1 Now, where were we?
5.2 Pre-Dark Ages
5.3 End of the Dark Ages
5.4 The ‘regenerator problem’
5.5 A first physical model
5.6 Back to the (Philips) Laboratory
5.6.1 An early approach to regenerator design
5.6.2 Rebirth of the multi-cylinder concept
5.7 The SMF-Kroon engine
5.8 Some basic concepts
5.8.1 The ‘ideal’ gas
5.8.2 Reynolds number
5.8.3 Number of transfer units, NTU
5.9 Schumann’s solution to the initial blow
5.10 Interim summary
Chapter 6 Reassessment
6.1 Status quo
6.2 What is the Stirling engine design problem?
6.3 Fundamentals of thermal design
6.4 Equivalence conditions
6.5 Reappraisal of the 1818 engine
6.5.1 Basic dimensional data
6.5.2 Operating conditions
6.5.3 Kinematics and volume variations
6.5.4 Temperature ratio
6.6 Some essential basics
6.6.1 Significance of temperature ratio
6.6.2 Dead space ratio
6.6.3 ‘Extra’ dead space
6.7 Summary of fundamentals to date
Chapter 7 Post-revival
7.1 Synopsis
7.2 The rhombic drive engines
7.3 Sealing
7.4 Multi-cylinder rhombic engines
7.5 A widening of involvement
7.6 Back to thermodynamic design – via an anomaly
Chapter 8 The ‘regenerator problem’
8.1 What regenerator problem?
8.2 Early part-solutions
8.3 The makings of cycle analysis
8.4 The advent of computer simulation
8.5 A first fluid particle trajectory map
8.6 Lateral thinking
8.7 Air versus helium versus hydrogen
Chapter 9 Two decades of optimism
9.1 Summary
9.2 The free-piston engine
9.3 The fluidyne
9.4 The Low ?T variant
9.5 The era of the computer
9.6 Further advances by Philips
9.7 Two UK initiatives
9.8 More on similarity and scaling
Chapter 10 Thermodynamic design
10.1 The thermodynamic design problem
10.2 The task in perspective
10.3 Pressure and flowrate
10.4 Solution of the regenerator problem
10.5 Gas circuit design by scaling
10.6 Similarity principles and engine design
10.7 A very un-scale model
10.8 The study of the 1818 engine continued
Chapter 11 Completing the picture
11.1 Regenerator analysis further simplified
11.2 Some background
11.3 Flush ratio
11.4 Algebraic development
11.4.1 Temperature profile
11.4.2 The ‘flush’ phase in perspective
11.4.3 Temperature recovery ratio
11.4.4 Matrix temperature swing
11.5 Common denominator for losses
11.5.1 Heat transfer and flow friction correlations
11.5.2 Heat transfer loss
11.6 Hydrodynamic pumping loss
11.7 Matrix temperature variation again
11.8 Optimum NTU
11.9 Inference of NTU actually achieved
11.9.1 From temperature recovery ratio, ?T
11.9.2 NTU from mean cycle Nre
11.10 Evaluation of optimum NTU
11.11 Implications
11.12 Complete temperature solutions
11.13 Thermodynamic study of the 1818 engine
11.14 Interim deductions
Appendix to Chapter 11
Chapter 12 By intuition, or by design?
12.1 An anomaly
12.2 The 1818 engine and the regenerator
12.3 Stirling’s regenerator design
12.3.1 A suitable expression for pumping loss
12.3.2 The temperature solutions
12.4 The alternative
12.5 Résumé
Chapter 13 ….. and the heyday to come
13.1 Full circle?
13.2 An air engine to challenge hydrogen and helium – the
Viebach CHP unit
13.3 A bold initiative from New Zealand
13.4 Future of the 1818 concept
13.5 A gas-powered, cordless hair drier?
13.6 A shot in the dark
Chapter 14 In praise of Robert Stirling
14.1 Citation
14.2 How might the unique genius of Robert Stirling by
celebrated?
14.3 A task completed - or barely begun
Appendix Literary output of Theodor Finkelstein
References
