Visible Stirling Engine
Safety Warnings
Warning: Heat Source Safety
Purpose
A transparent Stirling engine converts small temperature differences into visible mechanical work. Students observe the displacer and power pistons operating 90° out of phase and see that any temperature gradient — heating pad, hot water, or even ice — can drive the cycle.
Figure 1:
The Stirling engine at rest. The gold cylinder houses the foam displacer; the small gray chimney at the base is the power piston. Holographic strips on the clear flywheel make rotation visible.
Figure 2:
The engine running at speed. Motion blur from the holographic strips shows continuous rotation driven by the temperature difference across the base.
Figure 3:
The engine running on ice instead of heat. Small clear dishes of ice cubes around the base provide the cold reservoir while room-temperature air serves as the hot reservoir.