Demos: 3E-10 Stirling Engines
Here are two different style operating Stirling Engines. All Stirling Engines work on the principle of heating a gas, thus expanding the gas and exerting a force on the piston. When the gas expands from pushing the piston, it will cool, pressure will drop and the piston in return will exert a force on the gas decreasing its volume. From here, the cycle continues. Making this process easier and highly efficient is the displacer. The displacer readily moves the trapped gas from the hot end of the cylinder to the cool end of the cylinder (and vice versa) and it does this quite rapidly.
In demonstrating the Stirling Engine, engage the heat source and after a short amount of time give the flywheel or propeller a twist. The engine should then run unaided.