Manson engine
Hot air engine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Manson engine is a hot air engine that was first described by A. D. Manson in the March 1952 issue of Newnes Practical Mechanics-Magazines.[1] Manson engines can be started in either direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise).[2] It has a stepped piston. The front part acts as a displacer and the back part acts as a work piston (the displacer and the work piston move as a single component).[3][1] The engine only requires three moving parts: piston,[3] piston rod, and crank.
The engine is double acting,[1] using both the expansion of the warmed air and atmospheric pressure overcoming the reducing pressure of the cooling air to do work.[3][4][5]
The engine currently has no commercial or practical applications. The engines are built mainly as desk toys, physics demonstrations, and novelties.[2]
Functioning mechanism
- Phase 1 (cooling down the work medium, suction stroke)
- when the Piston is moved toward the heat source, the hot gas inside the engine is moved to the cool side of the cylinder.
- the gas is cooled there, resulting in pressure dropping below atmospheric, further moving the piston toward the heat source.
- Phase 2 (top dead centre)
- When the piston reaches top dead centre, the inlet valve is open, releasing the vacuum.
- the flywheel keeps the piston moving
- Phase 3 (heating up the work medium, expansion stroke)
- when the piston is moving away from the heat source, the air is pushed toward the heat source.
- the air is then heating up, resulting in the air expanding and the piston being further pushed away from the heat source
- Phase 4 (bottom dead centre)
- when the piston reaches bottom dead centre, the exhaust valve is open, releasing the build up pressure and hot air.
- the flywheel keeps the piston moving
