[Gasification] Low Calorific Gas for Stirling Engines

[Tom Reed]

Dear Jeff and All:

Diesel engines routinely hit 30% efficiency and can reach 40%.

Why struggle with Stirling development when with a little more push the 
Wankel  Rotary engine might edge out the much more complex piston 
engine.  According to Wikipedia,

"Many disadvantages of the Wankel engine have been solved in the Renesis 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renesis> engine of the RX-8 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RX-8>. The exhaust ports, which in earlier 
Mazda rotaries were located in the rotor housings, were moved to the 
sides of the combustion chamber. This approach allowed Mazda to 
eliminate overlap between intake and exhaust port openings, while 
simultaneously increasing exhaust port area. Fuel consumption is now 
within normal limits while passing California 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California> State emissions requirements."

Could there be a diesel analogue?

Could there be any advantage for hydrogen rich gas from biomass?

TOM REED     BEF

Jeff Davis wrote:

>On Sunday 06 August 2006 02:52 pm, Tom Reed wrote:
>  
>
>>Stirling engines have always occupied the position of "always a
>>bridesmaid; never a bride". 
>>    
>>
>
>I have read that a stirling engine could achieve as high as 30% efficiency in 
>the real world. It seems that one could do that good with an IC engine if the 
>same amount of money and engineering was applied.
>
>************************************************************
>
>I plan on building a Bisschop cycle engine:
>
>-- No piston rings.
>
>-- No tight piston to cylinder tolerance. Primitive machine shop.
>
>-- No governor.
>
>-- 110 rpm
>
>-- No sticky intake valves.
>
>-- Lots of heat for cogen (that's where I plan to make up my efficiency).
>
>-- Maybe hard maple wood bearings (bio-bearings). Hey, it worked for Mercedes 
>Benz.
>
>-- The biggie, it needs NO crank case oil. It can not have oil in the 
>cylinder. So how does it get cylinder oil? Answer: tar in the producer gas. 
>Think of it as a two-cycle engine where the gasoline is mixed with oil. 
>Someone built one and it would not run on propane, it needs producer-gas.
>
>-- No spark plugs or distributor junk.
>
>-- No fuel injection junk.
>
>-- It faced the efficient Otto-cycle engine and still was vary popular because 
>of it's simplicity and reliability. It was always a small engine. The 1/3rd 
>HP was the most popular. They may have made a one HP. So Peter has me out 
>powered and he doesn't need the extra by-product (heat) like I do so this 
>engine is not for everbody.
>
>Hint: It would make a great engine to turn an agglomerator and the off heat 
>for drying the fireballs.
>
>
>Jeff
>
>
>  
>