Fluidyne

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Fluidyne Engine is a gamma type Stirling Engine with a liquid piston. It is most commonly used for pumping water. In its most basic form it contains a working gas, and a liquid piston. The work produced by the fluidyne goes into pumping the liquid. The pump consists of two check valves. The loop of oscillating fluid acts as the displacer piston, while the liquid in the pump acts as the power piston. The pump is assumed to be open to that atmosphere, and the hydraulic head is typically small, so that the engine essentially runs at atmospheric pressure.