The Regenerator and the Stirling Engine [Hardcover]

Allan J. Organ (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1860580106 | ISBN-13: 978-1860580109 | Publication Date: March 14, 1997 | Edition: 1

The Regenerator and the Stirling Engine examines the basic scientific and engineering principles of the Regenerator and the Stirling engine. Drawing upon his own research and collaboration with engine developers, Allan J Organ offers solutions to many of the problems which have prevented these engines operating at the levels of efficiency of which they are theoretically capable. The Regenerator and the Stirling Engine offers practising engineers and designers specific guidelines for building in optimum thermodynamic performance at the design stage.

COMPLETE CONTENTS:

• Bridging the gap
• The Stirling cycle
• Heat transfer – and the price
• Similarity and scaling; Energetic similarity
• In support of similarity
• Hausen revised
• Connectivity and thermal shorting
• Real particle trajectories – natural co-ordinates
• The Stirling regenerator
• The Ritz rotary regenerator
• Compressibility effects
• Regenerator flow impedance
• Complex admittance – experimental corroboration
• Steady-flow Cf–Nre correlations inferred from linear-wave analysis
• Optimization Part I: without the computer
• Optimization Part II: cyclic steady state
• Elements of combustion
• Design study
• Hobbyhorse
• Origins
• Appendices

Product Details

• Hardcover: 672 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860580106
• ISBN-13: 978-1860580109
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,600,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first book on Stirling engine design since 1816!, November 5, 2000

By 

Israel Urieli (Athens, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Regenerator and the Stirling Engine (Hardcover)

The Stirling engine has been around for almost 200 years however no book has ever been published on the design of Stirling engines. All the various companies developing Stirling engines have been keeping their design methods secret. Why? Because the Stirling engine defies intuition - there are a vast number of relevant parameters to choose that affect the performance in complex, interrelated ways. Over the past 25 years Dr Organ has made it a mission to set that path right and this book represents the culmination of that effort. In the book he defines new dimensionless parameters in an attempt to reduce the number of variables, and has shown the vital importance of the regenerator to the machine. Furthermore he has lead the way to a design methodology which does not require extensive computer analysis. It is not easy to wade through the 623 pages crammed with diagrams and equations, however I strongly feel that this book is required reading for anyone interested in Stirling engine design. I believe that the introduction of this book represents a turning point in history of these fascinating machines.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Regenerator and the Stirling Engine, November 28, 2000

By 

Tom Gentry, sesusa.org (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Regenerator and the Stirling Engine (Hardcover)

Were I charged with the task of managing a program to design and build a well functioning Stirling engine, this book is the reference around which the entire endeavor would revolve. The endorsements of Israel Ureli and Theodor Finkelstein lend immeasurable credence to the techniques and tools described by Allan Organ. The chapters on Similarity and Scaling are supported by a convincing and in depth look at the first principles of Stirling engine design from burner to cooler. The math of the derivations can be intimidating but the math needed for the actual thermodynamic design work is algebraic arithmetic that even a Calculus challenged engineer such as I can understand. Discussions of this book and the design principles it contains are ongoing at [e-mail]. If you are serious about building a Stirling engine that works, you need to buy this book and join the discussion.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dissenting opinion, October 16, 2000

By 

Dr. Theodor Finkelstein (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Regenerator and the Stirling Engine (Hardcover)

This book set itself an absolutely monumental task: to present a complete and up-to-date treatment of an immensely difficult, and mathematically intractible subject. After what must have taken years and years of work (I know how hard it is, having published around 50 scientific papers on Stirling engines, but never had the time needed to get a complete error-free book out!) so when I saw Organ's compendium, of 623 pages and uncounted illustrations and equations, I was absolutely amazed how close he came to achieving this aim. The previous reviewer cites a lot of errors without referencing them, therefore I do not know where to look for them. Similar to the first reviewer I also found it difficult to absorb and navigate through the detailed terminology, with prefixes, subscripts and font distinctions. I have not found any errors in those equations I analysed, and the first reviewer fails to cite these. Consequently I fail to see why this book should not receive the unstinted praise that it deserves for a job well done. I would be curious to see further reviewers enter the lists and add their opinions to these first two.