3 ms·
Stirling engines are not efficient. Using that heat to make steam to turn a turbine is much more efficient. But it would be harder to make that portable.
by cathhhhji 8y ago
Stirling engines are not efficient. Using that heat to make steam to turn a turbine is much more efficient. But it would be harder to make that portable.
- telchar 8y agoYes they are. An ideal stirling engine has the Carnot level efficiency, i.e. maximum theoretical efficiency for a heat engine. https://blog.mide.com/thermodynamic-theory-of-the-ideal-stirling-engine https://blog.mide.com/thermodynamic-theory-of-the-ideal-stir...
- coryrc 8y agoExcept the ideal one doesn't exist and multistage stream turbines are more efficient in practice.
- Faaak 8y agoBut I suppose that having a multistage steam turbine in mars in not something will see at first
- jacquesm 8y agoAnd more reliable too. The Stirling does have one huge advantage which is that it is entirely self contained.
- hwillis 8y agoDefinitely not at that scale. Small turbines have low efficiency because tip speed increases quadratically as they get smaller.
- rfrey 8y agoYou may be interested in reading Allan Organ’s books. He claims that aspirations to Carnot efficiency are a red herring and claims (with Much Math) that the peak efficiency is closer to 50% of The Carnot cycle.
- ttul 8y agoHmm. Why not talk to Etalim: https://www.etalim.com/ https://www.etalim.com/ They invented and are very close to commercializing a direct heat-to-electricity converter that uses acoustic waves. No moving parts. Close to 30% efficiency.
- anovikov 8y agoNope. It is easy to make an efficient heat engine if temperature differential is so huge that it is sufficient for a steam turbine. And efficiency of a turbine will be nowhere like Carnot efficiency. Stirling engines work on much lower temperature difference, providing efficiencies dead close to Carnot levels (which is still, on that temperature difference, quite low).
- pjc50 8y agoTurbines are only efficient at large size (see failed gas turbine cars), while Stirling engines are very dependent on construction details for efficiency.