The Sterling Engine Results
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Getting the dam thing started
If it is adjusted correctly then it is very easy to start, mine didn't start straight away and I had to shorten the balloon wires about 10mm before it would go. But that was the only thing I had to do, since then it has been fine.
Actually I'm fairly sure that it could run much faster so I will be making some more adjustments later but for now I want to make sure that you've gotten your own engine to start.
So this is exactly, step by step, how I start mine:
1/ Filled the tuna can with cold tap water.
2/ Lit all 3 tea lights and slid them under the fire box.
3/ Placed the engine on top of the firebox and started a timer.
4/ After 40 seconds I could get it started but it would stop after a few revolutions.
5/ After 70 seconds I could start it easily.
6/ It stayed going for 6 minutes and with a bit of help it would start again but stop after a few more revolutions. Update, with some further adjustments at the bottom of this page it now runs indefinitely.
7/ I very quickly changed the water and waited 30 seconds for it to heat up again before I could start it again.
8/ It lasted a further 6 minutes, just like the last time, I repeated this a few times and it was the same each time.
Update, with some further adjustments at the bottom of this page it now runs indefinitely.
Only 2 minutes into another 6 minute run and I removed one of the candles to see what would happen, it stopped 5 seconds later.
Interim Conclusion
Wow this thing is loads of fun, seriously, you've got to try this, I feel like a big kid.
Apart from all the fun what I can conclude so far is that it stops when the water gets warm which takes 6 minutes (update-it now lasts indefinitely) and it also needs all the heat from 3 candles to sustain it. Now I've seen these engines run a lot faster than mine and I've also seen them run on either 1 or 2 tea lights so I know there is a lot of scope for improvement.
I'm going to make a few adjustments to the balloon wires first, it's certainly the easiest thing to do, and see what improvements I can make.
Secondly depending on how the adjustments go I may increase the size of the cooling reservoir (ok I know it's only a tuna can but cooling reservoir sounds very NASA like).
Thirdly I may change the aluminium can for a steel one, aluminium is a great conductor of heat but it may be too good for our purposes.
There are other tweaks to the cam shaft and fly wheel but I want to eliminate all these other things before trying that.
To be honest, it's good enough as it is, but if I could improve it then maybe I could try and generate some power from it. Another project to put onto the Future Projects page, does it never end!
Further Adjustments
It seems to good to be true, success so early.
I shortened the balloon wires by 3mm and it had a huge affect, these are the benefits:
1/ The engine started after 50 seconds compared to 70 seconds.
2/ The engine runs much faster, approx 2-3 times faster, much faster than I could count.
3/ The engine doesn't stop ever, before it stopped after 6 mins. I tested this for just over 2 hours and it didn't show any signs of wanting to stop by itself.
4/ The engine still needs 3 tea lights, I removed one and it stopped a few seconds later.
5/ Because the engine will continue forever the main problem I had was keeping the candles going with a big enough flame or trying to replace them when they were finished before the engine stopped.
The water gets very hot now, but it still continues to run. The water does not boil or steam but seems to remain very hot indefinitely.
I'm not sure if I can improve on this, it would seem to be perfect but I haven't yet done enough adjusting and testing to feel that I've got the best out of it. Was I just lucky or are these engines that easy to set up.
I'll let you know as soon as I get some time to carry on the testing.
Update April 2012, I continued to make adjustments but I couldn't improve the results of the last test, the Sterling Engine was able to run between 180 - 300 RPM continuously depending on the state of the candles.
Good candles and cold water at the beginning produced a speed of 300 RPM within a few minutes.
Poor candles and very hot water could bring that down to 180 RPM.
If the candles were looked after and replaced when the flames became small then the engine will continue to run at 240 RPM with very hot water continuously. Far better than I ever thought possible with a design based around a few old coke cans!!
If it is adjusted correctly then it is very easy to start, mine didn't start straight away and I had to shorten the balloon wires about 10mm before it would go. But that was the only thing I had to do, since then it has been fine.
Actually I'm fairly sure that it could run much faster so I will be making some more adjustments later but for now I want to make sure that you've gotten your own engine to start.
So this is exactly, step by step, how I start mine:
1/ Filled the tuna can with cold tap water.
2/ Lit all 3 tea lights and slid them under the fire box.
3/ Placed the engine on top of the firebox and started a timer.
4/ After 40 seconds I could get it started but it would stop after a few revolutions.
5/ After 70 seconds I could start it easily.
6/ It stayed going for 6 minutes and with a bit of help it would start again but stop after a few more revolutions. Update, with some further adjustments at the bottom of this page it now runs indefinitely.
7/ I very quickly changed the water and waited 30 seconds for it to heat up again before I could start it again.
8/ It lasted a further 6 minutes, just like the last time, I repeated this a few times and it was the same each time.
Update, with some further adjustments at the bottom of this page it now runs indefinitely.
Only 2 minutes into another 6 minute run and I removed one of the candles to see what would happen, it stopped 5 seconds later.
Interim Conclusion
Wow this thing is loads of fun, seriously, you've got to try this, I feel like a big kid.
Apart from all the fun what I can conclude so far is that it stops when the water gets warm which takes 6 minutes (update-it now lasts indefinitely) and it also needs all the heat from 3 candles to sustain it. Now I've seen these engines run a lot faster than mine and I've also seen them run on either 1 or 2 tea lights so I know there is a lot of scope for improvement.
I'm going to make a few adjustments to the balloon wires first, it's certainly the easiest thing to do, and see what improvements I can make.
Secondly depending on how the adjustments go I may increase the size of the cooling reservoir (ok I know it's only a tuna can but cooling reservoir sounds very NASA like).
Thirdly I may change the aluminium can for a steel one, aluminium is a great conductor of heat but it may be too good for our purposes.
There are other tweaks to the cam shaft and fly wheel but I want to eliminate all these other things before trying that.
To be honest, it's good enough as it is, but if I could improve it then maybe I could try and generate some power from it. Another project to put onto the Future Projects page, does it never end!
Further Adjustments
It seems to good to be true, success so early.
I shortened the balloon wires by 3mm and it had a huge affect, these are the benefits:
1/ The engine started after 50 seconds compared to 70 seconds.
2/ The engine runs much faster, approx 2-3 times faster, much faster than I could count.
3/ The engine doesn't stop ever, before it stopped after 6 mins. I tested this for just over 2 hours and it didn't show any signs of wanting to stop by itself.
4/ The engine still needs 3 tea lights, I removed one and it stopped a few seconds later.
5/ Because the engine will continue forever the main problem I had was keeping the candles going with a big enough flame or trying to replace them when they were finished before the engine stopped.
The water gets very hot now, but it still continues to run. The water does not boil or steam but seems to remain very hot indefinitely.
I'm not sure if I can improve on this, it would seem to be perfect but I haven't yet done enough adjusting and testing to feel that I've got the best out of it. Was I just lucky or are these engines that easy to set up.
I'll let you know as soon as I get some time to carry on the testing.
Update April 2012, I continued to make adjustments but I couldn't improve the results of the last test, the Sterling Engine was able to run between 180 - 300 RPM continuously depending on the state of the candles.
Good candles and cold water at the beginning produced a speed of 300 RPM within a few minutes.
Poor candles and very hot water could bring that down to 180 RPM.
If the candles were looked after and replaced when the flames became small then the engine will continue to run at 240 RPM with very hot water continuously. Far better than I ever thought possible with a design based around a few old coke cans!!
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