Analysis of an oscillating engine for power generation based on the "Drinking Bird Toy"
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"The investigation presented here is of an oscillating engine of which the "Drinking Bird Toy" is a prime example. A model is set up to represent the way the toy works and an attempt is made to calculate the power output for a hypothetical large scale engine working on the same principle. This study was stimulated by the paper "A Simple Heat Engine of Possible Utility in Primitive Environments" by R. B. Murrow, published by The Rand Corporation in August, 1966 (11). The investigation carried out was purely theoretical and the solution was obtained based on a mathematical model describing the processes of heat and mass transfer in the engine. The analysis was an extension of the work performed by Fraser (1) and differs primarily in the treatment of heat transfer in the head. The mathematical model resulted in seven linear algebraic equations to be solved simultaneously. The iterative nature of the calculations necessitated the use of the University of Missouri at Columbia IBM36O digital computer. The calculations were performed for Freon-11 as internal working fluid. This was because the fluid must condense and evaporate between dry and wet bulb temperatures at near atmospheric pressures to complete the working cycle of the engine. The normal boiling point of Freon-11 is 75[degrees]F., about 5[degrees]F. below the assumed ambient air temperature. Dry and wet bulb temperatures at 80[degrees]F. and 65[degrees]F. respectively and wind velocity at 5 MPH were chosen as representative (19) of the day time conditions under which the engine* is expected to work. "Sun Incremental temperature"** of 20[degrees]F. was considered available in the day time. The mathematical model assumes steady state temperatures in both body and head chambers for the pumping period of the working cycle. This assumption simplifies otherwise complicated mathematics to linear algebraic equations. Power output was computed for wind velocities up to 10 MPH and sun incremental temperatures up to 30[degrees]F. The calculated power output is compared with Murrow's (15) measured power output. Finally, changing the working liquid density and latent heat of vaporization is also considered."--Introduction.
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