Stirling engine

[RickS]

I am working on a wood pellet stove/stirling engine combo. The goal is to be able to heat the greenhouse and generate enough electricity to run the auger and fans for the stove as well as the water pumps and other misc. electrical. The stirling engine is an external combustion engine, so it just sits on top of the pellet stove using the heat differential (stove/ambient air) to run. I have been working with a mechanical engineer and he is confident we can make it work.

The other thought is a steam engine but I am not keen on having a high pressure boiler around. This will be my fallback if the other becomes to difficult to produce.

Both have been in use for hundreds of years, and will run on any combustible fuel.

Also there is plenty of info. on how to make your own pellets from wood dust or any other bio-mass.

[davidstcldfl]

Cool.....or maybe I should say 'warm'... :D Good luck !

[badflash]

I saw a sterling variant using heated/cooled oil and two large steel pipes for the working chamber. Between the two pipes was a set of check valves and a hydraulic motor. Alternately hot & cold oil was sprayed in opposite pipes creating a recipricating oil flow. The check valves forced the flow through the motor. Level floats controlled the oil spray. Pretty clever.