Stirling engine

American  

noun

1. an external-combustion engine in which heat from outside the cylinders causes air confined in the cylinders to expand and drive the pistons.

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Stirling engine British  

noun

1. an external-combustion engine that uses air or an inert gas as the working fluid operating on a highly efficient thermodynamic cycle (the Stirling cycle )

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Etymology

Origin of Stirling engine

1895–1900; after Robert Stirling (died 1878), Scottish engineer

Example Sentences

In a typical setup, one side of a Stirling engine is kept warm while the other side is cooled.

From Science Daily

The device is based on a Stirling engine, a type of machine designed to convert heat into mechanical motion.

From Science Daily

And there will be stunning array of electrical and mechanical engineering, from the world's oldest Stirling engine to the tip of a modern wind-turbine blade.

From Nature

And it is working with genius inventor Dean Kamen to perfect a home-optimized Stirling engine that can run on natural gas and enable homeowners to generate all the power they need.

From Forbes

The list is long and includes the copper and aluminum Eddy current tubes that he always has on hand to teach visitors about magnetism, the square plates or blocks for melting ice for a tutorial on thermal conductivity, and a miniature Stirling engine for a chalk talk about using heat to drive a piston.

From New York Times