Nano Fin Stirling Engine

Gamma Engine with 90° configuration

The Kontax Nano Fin Stirling engine has in interesting 90° piston and displacer linkage coupled with a 90° transfer tube between the piston and main chamber. It has an anodised aluminium construction with delicately machined brass fittings and the solid brass flywheel rim has integral balancing, allowing the engine to run at over 2200 rpm on a tiny candle-sized flame. Stirling engines come in three main configurations, alpha, beta and gamma. This engine is a gamma, with a displacer inside the main chamber and power cylinder connected to it by a transfer tube. The 90° configuration allows both connecting rods to attach the one crank.

How does it work?

Stirling engines work by cyclically heating and cooling the air inside the main chamber. As the air heats up it expands, and as it cools down it contracts. This expansion and contraction drives a small power piston which in turn drives the flywheel. The clever thing about Stirling engines is that the mechanism for cycling the heating and cooling of the air is built into the engine in the form of the displacer, which is driven by the flywheel and crank arrangement and moves the air from the warm side to the cool side and back again over and over.

Stirling engines are named after the inventor, Rev. Robert Stirling, who patented his idea in 1816.

Main features:

• 90 linkage mechanism
• Gamma configuration
• 2000rpm
• Runs on a tiny methylated spirits or denatured alcohol flame
• Extremely low friction self-lubricating graphite piston
• Built in flywheel balancing

Materials

• Aluminium connecting rods
• Stainless steel ball-race bearings
• Micron precision borosilicate glass cylinders
• Micron precision graphite power piston
• Aluminium base, foot, and brackets
• Aluminium flywheel spokes
• Brass flywheel rim

Dimensions

• Base - 115mm x 50mm x 5mm thick (4.5" x 1.9" x 0.2")
• Flywheel - 35mm diameter x 6mm thick (1.4" x 0.23")
• Power piston - 9.5mm diameter (0.375")
• Overall height - 115mm (4.5")
• Burner - 25mm diameter x 40mm high (1" x 1.6")

Assembled

The engine is despatched fully assembled and ready to go.

Instructions

Click the image below for PDF assembly, operation and maintenance instructions for this engine.