Increase in the price of oil has stimulated interest in coal-burning engines including the Stirling engines. Applications for large (> 1 MW) coal-burning Stirling engines are foreseen for marine propulsion, stationary power, railway locomotive and the heavy off-highway rubber-tyred equipment used in mining, agriculture, construction and forestry.This paper is directed principally to speculations about large coal-fired Stirling air engines with water lubrication for railway locomotive application, but similar philosophy is applicable in the other applications for large slow running engines.A brief discussion is included about mechanical arrangements and the use of air as a working fluid with water as the lubricant in Stirling engines combined with fluidized bed coal combustors and sodium vapour heat transport systems. The possibilities for railway locomotive application are explored in terms of a large unit designed from the start to utilize Stirling engines and the conversion of existing steam locomotives...

Coal-Fired Stirling Engines for Railway Locomotive and Stationary Power Applications:

The article examines the operating principles of the stirling engine and its application for automotive use. Present research is said to be generally concentrated on engines using diesel fuel. It is suggested that whereas diesel fuel is the most suitable fuel for the ci engine, and petrol for the spark ignition engine, the real automotive application for the stirling engine will come when diesel and petrol fuels are no longer available at low cost. At that point a thermal battery in combination with a stirling engine will be at an advantage. The thermal battery will be charged overnight by electric resistance heating, or by the combustion of natural gas or solid fuel. Such a propulsion system could be used with regenerative braking and applied to such vehicles as commuter transport and commercial delivery vehicles. (TRRL)

G M Walker

Papers

Dual function concept stirling engine for automotive application