Item 1975_008_A_001 - Hot Air Engine

1

1890s: Originally installed in a country house in Swainshill, near Hereford to lift water from a deep borehole.

1975: Donated to the museum.

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Type: ½ hp Hot Air Engine.
Lifted water from a borehole 110ft (33m) deep.
Built to a Rider patent design.
The engine has a regenerator between the hot and cold cylinders to improve efficiency.

Bay S (Southall Gallery)

Hot Air Engines are also known as Stirling engines after their invention in 1816 by the Rev. Robert Stirling, a Scottish clergyman. Hot Air Engines are ideal in a domestic situation due to their simplicity and safety, with no steam boiler to explode. They make little noise, use domestic fuel such as coal or coke. They require little maintenance except for the use of an oil can. However, Hot Air Engines are generally inefficient and deliver little power for their size compared to steam engines.

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