Stirling engine rally this Sunday

Usual plug for Kew Bridge event:-

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Had the feel of a rally in decline last year - let's hope for better this time round.

NHH

Reply to
Nick H
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Nick,

What time shall we meet in canteen for the cuppa your buying me then :-))

Martin P

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Reply to
campingstoveman

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Me and 'arrangements' don't sit well together, but I'm sure I'll see you there and may even muster the necessary for a cuppa :-)

NHH

Reply to
NHH

Gentlemen,

Spent a few good hours at Kew Pumping Station today, had a good chat with Nick H and his good lady we never did have that cup of tea though. Save others I know and took some pictures which can be found at

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Hope you like them.

Martin P

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Reply to
campingstoveman

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Glad you enjoyed the day - if anything numbers seemed little up on last year. Tea (and a corned beef butty) was taken once we were sure you were safely out of the way ;-) Did you see the diesels running - Helen and I took time out for a walk over Kew bridge and around the green.

Shame you didn't take a pic of my favourite engine of the day, Adrian(the engineer's emporium)'s half size Breman Caloric, modeled on Terry Lines' original example - I walked around with a camera round my neck all day and forgot to do so.

BTW, I'd get that Camera of yours looked at, some problem with the colour balance makes people look like they have grey hair!

NHH

Reply to
NHH

campingstoveman wrote (snip):

The engine on show was the 'development model' and yes, some things like the burner mounting and displacer drive yoke needed tidying, but I think a nicely finished example will be something to behold. Unfortunately, with the casting set estimated at around the £800 mark, I don't think I'll be placing my order any time soon!

Helen is determined to build it herself but, without so much as an Airfix kit under her belt, assistance will be offered where necessary!

NHH

Reply to
NHH

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Yes I saw them running, the Allen started well, its a shame that it doesn't drive the pumping gear as well.

I had a look at it but didn't like it, a bit rough around the edges

At least yours is various shades of grey and not white like mine and you dont appear to have a hole at the back of your head unlike what my wife keeps pointing out to me :-)) Have you built and run your good ladies toy yet.

Reply to
campingstoveman

I'd never really thought about it but I guess that, apart from the detrimental effect of the additional dead space and pumping loss, there is no reason why a Ringbom should not work perfectly well with the displacer and power cylinders remote from one another. Unfortunately when I passed by, the stand was unattended and when a quick flick of the flywheel produced no apparent response at the displacer end, I assumed it was 'work in progress'.

NHH

Reply to
NHH

I missed you both and only stayed for an hour or so. Attendance may have been up but exhibits were down. I'm still trying to figure out how the heat engine which had the displacer coupled to the power cylinder by a plastic pipe remained in sync.

I talked with Malcolm who has exhibited his rhombic drive engine in different guises for the last three years, This year two new (I think) things.

1) he was running the hot side in a fairly crude wood stove, I think this could be improved a lot by embedding it in a simple downdraught J tube cooker. Also his cool side was kept very cool, about 30C. Jack that up a bit to 50C and the thing could provide heat for domestic hot water and power! Ken, in Martin's photo of the device, reckoned about 150W and 5% conversion efficiency, I've a feeling a cheap Peltier cooler could challenge that with no moving parts nowadays. 2) He had machined the rings and lipseal from a block of composite glasfibre and PTFE which was running dry and wasn't showing wear in the (unspecified) time he had been running.

My favourite is still the little 5hp laval turbine which provided lighting from 1903 to something like 1930, a cut out display of the actual machine. The double helical reduction gears look as good as new and gave a 10:1 reduction from 30,00rpm.

AJH

Reply to
andrew

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First pic reminded me of this site (took a while to re-find):-

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An interesting diversion and just the sort of thing you could knock up a tolerable interpretation of from the bit box of a winter's evening.

NHH

Reply to
Nick H

That 3 Cylinder Allen is a beautiful thing and I do believe that I have a space in the shop just big enough for the Lister D.

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Reply to
Scott McAfee

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Reply to
Charles Hamilton

Scot,

I saw it first :-))

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Reply to
campingstoveman

Drats!!

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Reply to
Scott McAfee

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Reply to
Charles Hamilton

Charles, I will put you out of your misery, a couple of the large open cranks are going to other museums soon. So I was told.

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Reply to
campingstoveman

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Reply to
Charles Hamilton

I was told where but certainly not Anson.

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Reply to
campingstoveman

Not entirely good news I feel, I can't think of anywhere else in this area one can go to see such engines. Not being much of a traveler I only get up to the Anson on the infrequent occasions when we spend a weekend in the area for the '1000' engine (fingers crossed for this year), and have never made it across to Internal fire.

NHH

Reply to
NHH

Reply to
Charles Hamilton

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