Stirling Engine Model — Thermodynamic Heat Engine Demonstrator
Watch thermodynamics run in your hand. A Stirling engine converts heat directly into mechanical motion — no combustion, no fuel, just physics.
Place the engine on a cup of hot water and watch the flywheel spin. The temperature differential between the hot plate and cold cylinder drives a piston through a thermodynamic cycle — expansion, cooling, contraction, heating — just like in a real power plant, but visible at the scale of your desk.
What you can demonstrate:
- Carnot cycle and thermodynamic efficiency
- Heat-to-work energy conversion
- Pressure-volume work and gas laws
- Second law of thermodynamics
- Temperature gradients and heat flow
Specifications: Polished aluminum and brass construction · Runs on 70°C+ heat source (hot water, candle, palm of hand) · Glass flywheel for internal visibility · Precision machined cylinder and displacer
A favourite demonstration in physics labs from high school to university.