OT--Drug out the Hot air engine

[Pitchy]

I built this full size replica of a 1860 Ryder Ericsson hot air engine back in 1995.
Thought i`d get it out and heat it up for you guys.







Click on picture to see video.

[awp101]

A failed attempt to replace politicians?

[RIHMFIRE]

you are incredible...
You dont have a delorean with a flux capacitor ....do ya!

[Blaine]

Does not seem to be compression or such...how does it work?

[J Miller]

Pitchy,

You have the neatest toys. What would an engine like that have been used for?

Joe

[Pitchy]

Blaine, it`s called a Sterling cycle, it works by the heating and cooling of air inside the engine. No valves no combustion just the expansion of air.
John Ericsson invented this engine, they were in sizes from five inch bore too 12 inch. They were used for pumping water back before electricity or the gas engine. In the big cities the water pressure wasn`t sufficient to supply water above the first floor. So they put a hot air engine in the basement and a water tank on the roof then they had running water. They burned producer gas same as what run the street lamps. They were also put on wells and used for irrigation, many were sold in Australia. They wern`t cheap though, this size engine sold for over 400 bucks which was a lot of money back then.
Ericsson was the guy who built the all steel ship the Monitor, he also built several more air engines. They have very little power but by the use of gears or linkage could pump water all day for little of nothing. They had coal and wood fire boxes also.
This engine was advertised to pump 300 gal. of water and hour to a height of 50 feet, the bigger engines could pump more.

[junkbug]

Is "producer gas" the same as coal gas?

[Borregos]

That is real neat Pitchy

[Pitchy]

Is "producer gas" the same as coal gas?

I think so, i may be wrong on the type they used for street lamps.
I built a gas producer once, the problem is filtering the gas especially when using wood.
I built six full size engines back when nobody was building anything but models, i even got two engines published in model tech magazine.

[Mac in Mo]

Pitchy,

Would an engine of that sort do any good as a basis for an electrical generator? Would it be practical?

Kevin

[O.S.O.K.]

Very cool. You have skills Pitchy.

[Pitchy]

Pitchy,

Would an engine of that sort do any good as a basis for an electrical generator? Would it be practical?

Kevin

Thanks guys.

No, not enough power, you can grab the flywheel and stop it.
Stirling did make a huge engine that put out 45 hp. but had to pressurize it.

[gundownunder]

You have talent Pitchy

If that will push water 50 ft up do you have any idea how far it will pull water up, like from a well.
I assume that would be the reason a lot came to Oz for. Much of this country depends on underground water to supply livestock, although in many places water comes up from 100 ft or more down.

[Pitchy]

You have talent Pitchy

If that will push water 50 ft up do you have any idea how far it will pull water up, like from a well.
I assume that would be the reason a lot came to Oz for. Much of this country depends on underground water to supply livestock, although in many places water comes up from 100 ft or more down.

I imagine a ten inch bore engine would lift water pretty deep, they made two types of pumps, one that mounted on the engine and was a shallow well pump and one that went down a casing and lifted the water.
You should keep your eye open for one over there, i think there was around 30 thousand sold.

[rjohns94]

By far your coolest toy yet. very nice. thanks for sharing.

[BenT]

Pitchy,

Would an engine of that sort do any good as a basis for an electrical generator? Would it be practical?

Kevin

Yes they do use them. The solar electric stations you that you see pictures in the desert aren't all using solar panels. The sterling engine generator stations use mirrors . These small sections of mirrors focus light/heat onto a water pipe in the center , inwhich the heat is used to run a small sterling engine. The engine turns an electric generator. These facilities have hundreds of sterling engines running to produce electrical power.

I wanted to build a small one to put by my woodstove to run a small fan to circulate air.

[AJMD429]

Reminds me of those engines we used to call "hit-and-miss" engines they have in the old-equipment exhibits at the county fairs.

Having SOME kind of engine suitable to power a generator, which could burn wood, would be an asset, but I suppose a steam-engine would be the way to go for that.

[M. M. Wright]

Pitchy,
That is really cool! I see some interesting stuff in the background too.

AJMD429,
I could vote for your presidential ticket.

[Cimarron]

Do a google search for steam/threshing shows. From May to October there are old engine shows going on in many parts of the United States where hot air engines, steam engines and gasoline engines are on display and operating. It's amazing how much of this stuff is left considering the scrap metal drives during WW2. I have an engine friend who collects hot air engines and they are an amazing thing to watch work.

[Pitchy]

Pitchy,

Would an engine of that sort do any good as a basis for an electrical generator? Would it be practical?

Kevin

Yes they do use them. The solar electric stations you that you see pictures in the desert aren't all using solar panels. The sterling engine generator stations use mirrors . These small sections of mirrors focus light/heat onto a water pipe in the center , inwhich the heat is used to run a small sterling engine. The engine turns an electric generator. These facilities have hundreds of sterling engines running to produce electrical power.

I wanted to build a small one to put by my woodstove to run a small fan to circulate air.

I didn`t know that, i know that if you get high tech you can pull some power from them. Enclosed engines so they can be pressurized, Sterling discovered that for every lb of air pressure in the engine would double the HP.
They also use helium instead of air as it heats and cools faster than air.
I built a double acting two cylinder engine that could be pressurized.
In 1979 Winnebago had a engine to run the generator in there motor homes but it never made it on the market, i have the article in a 79 popular mechanics mag

Those little stove fans are available for sale , maybe do a goggle on them.

[J Miller]

Pitchy,

Here's something that popped into my brain when I was watching the video.
Where did you come up with the wheel and other cast parts for the engine?

Joe

[1894]

I allways look forward to reading your next post Pitchy
This one is another great one !! I had never heard of a Hot Air Engine before , Thanks for sharing !!

P.S. I can almost see when you get a lot of wool to spin , one of these engines powering a spinning wheel

[Mac in Mo]

Interesting. I will have to do some research on these engines. If a guy could set up a generator system for a remote cabin with one of these, it would make a lot of sense, noise and fuel wise.
Maybe have a double duty set up, generator and well pump. Maybe that would be pushing it. It is food for thought, though.

Kevin

[Pitchy]

Joe the only cast part on it is the flywheel that is from a old gas engine, everything else is fabricated from steel.

1894, A spinning wheel would work good on one, that`s about all the power they have with old technology.
For those thinking about running a generator be prepared to go high tech in order to get enough power.

Thanks guys.

[quietman]

Thanks, I love old machinery

[Rube Burrows]

That is really neat. I had never seen one of those.

[kimwcook]

Very cool. You have skills Pitchy.

I'll second that statement.