DOE Science Showcase - Stirling Engines
A parabolic solar dish utilizing a Stirling engine.
Courtesy Western Power Administration
A remarkable engine now called the Stirling engine was invented and patented by Robert Stirling in 1816. The Stirling engine's basic principles were centuries ahead of its time. In contrast to internal combustion engines, all it requires to run is a source of heat. The Stirling engine operates by cyclic compression and expansion of air or other gas (the working fluid) at different temperatures, where there is a net conversion of heat energy to mechanical work. Stirling engines have the potential to be quieter, use renewable heat sources more easily, and to be more reliable with lower maintenance. DOE databases provide a myriad of free DOE research project reports and publications where Stirling engines are being used in applications such as thermal storage, solar-only electrical generation, and spacecraft power generation. Many of these resources are shown below.
Related Research Information in DOE Databases
- In the OSTI Collections: The Stirling Cycle, Dr. William Watson
- DOE PAGESBeta – journal articles and accepted manuscripts resulting from DOE funding.
- SciTech Connect – reports from DOE science, technology and engineering programs.
- DOepatents – a central collection of DOE patent information.
For additional information, see the OSTI Catalogue of Collections.
Additional Resources
- Stirling Engines, Wikipedia
- Alpha type Stirling engine, Wikipedia
- Beta type Stirling engine, Wikipedia
- Robert Stirling, Wikipedia
- Project Profile: Maintenance-Free Stirling Engine for High-Performance Dish CSP
- U.S. Department of Energy Enters Cooperation to Commercialize a Game Changing Solar Energy Storage Solution, The Perfect World Foundation
- SunShot, U.S. DOE
- CSP Dish-Stirling
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