Stirling engine

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/stirling-engine

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who invented Stirling engine?1816
2. What is the classification?Closed-cycle regenerative external combustion heat engine
3. What is the inventor?Robert Stirling
4. What is a Stirling engine and how does it make power?A Stirling engine is a machine that uses heat from outside to move a gas inside a sealed cylinder. The hot gas expands and pushes a piston, making power, then cools and contracts to help the piston move back.
5. Why does a Stirling engine use a regenerator?The regenerator is a porous material that stores heat when the gas moves from hot to cold and gives it back when the gas returns to hot. This saves energy and makes the engine more efficient.

External Combustion: Combustion of fuel occurs outside the engine's working cylinders, allowing diverse heat sources.
Regenerator: An internal heat exchanger that temporarily stores and re-releases thermal energy to improve cycle efficiency.
Carnot Efficiency: The theoretical maximum efficiency achievable by any heat engine operating between two given temperatures.