Light my (little) fire.

[njl]

Nice video, works a treat.

Pete & Dean - Thanks for the info on the saw, I can see me adding one of those to the workshop at some point.

 

[Deanofid]

Thank you again, folks.

I was surprised how much longer it ran once you removed the heat.

It's a characteristic of the engine type, Zee. Most any stirling design will keep running a short while
after the heat source is removed. The metal in the displacer cylinder end, often called the hot end,
stays hot enough to run the engine for a time. Once the engine has used up that heat, or it just
dissipates, it stops.

Build a stirling, Zee. I have lots more white stuff!

Dean

 

[NickG]

Hi Dean, just seen this, nice burner. Just got 1 question, does it have an air hole anywhere, or doesn't it need one?



Nick

 

[Deanofid]

Hi Nick;
I think it gets enough air past the threads for the cap. There is no gasket in there.
It burns a long time, and doesn't tend to push fuel out of the filler, so I think it's okay.

Dean

 

[NickG]

Thanks Dean,

I only ask because when I made my burner for my Stirling, I didn't include any sort of air hole. It had a sort of push fit cap and worked fine too but then somebody said ooooo you haven't got an air hole in that, so I put one in! Didn't seem to make any difference to me but I put one in my other burners after that! It's never going to create a vacuum in my view it would just gently pull air down through the wick if the rest was air tight?



Nick

 

[mklotz]

I managed to set the display table on fire because one of my alcohol lamps didn't have a vent hole in the filler cap. (My fellow club members will never let me live that one down.)

The lamp had been burning for a while and got quite warm. I theorize that the air trapped in the fuel tank expanded enough to force liquid fuel out the wick tube. Naturally, the expelled fuel caught fire as it passed the burning wick. The filler bung was carefully sealed with an O-ring so the only path for the expansion was up the wick tube.

Whether my theory is correct or not, all my lamps have vent holes in the filler caps now and I've never had a recurrence of my involuntary arson.

 

[Deanofid]

I've seen what you experienced, Marv. (Notice, I didn't say it happened to me...) I had a similar,
but slightly different theory. I just thought that the warmth of the wick tube was maybe enough
to vaporize some of the alcohol in the burner, and since it expands when it vaporizes, it pushes
liquid out.
I may be soaking wet!

Anyway, this particular one apparently has enough venting just past the loose threads on the cap. As
I say, there is no gasket in there. I would drill a pin hole in it if it were a cap that sealed on tight.
Something I may not have mentioned earlier in the thread; The filler tube goes about half way down
into the reservoir, preventing the contents from sloshing out the top when it's moved or jostled.

Dean