Opinions of the STERLING Motor

[BarryBUmcrack]

Would like to get some opinions of the Sterling motor

If it's viable and  if so what sort of scale could it be utilised

This is not the best example but
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y30DVaxeU9E

Then there is this one, I have seen the plans available online for this one..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebu6Vcds_40


Please let me know your opinions, Many Thanks

[lumen]

The solid state heat engine may be the best option.

http://www.johnsonems.com/?q=node/2

[Cloxxki]

I was just going to ask about a strokeless heat differential engine. This is way more advanced that I was ready for. Any reports of it actually being built?

With vast bodies of cold water, streaming to hot weather regions, the potential seems huge. Something less maintenance prone, and able to deal with large surfaces might generate more than a bit of free energy. In a mountain creek, or river I suppose an advance waterwheel or dam/turbine will be hard to beat. But nearly standing sea water, on a hot summer's day...there will be good temperature difference even between the pool of water on the beach and the sea itself. It would be child's play to get the sun to heat water, and then letting cold and warm meet.

A dam lake being filled with cold mountain water, might get a second energy delivering duty, via the heat exchange.

[Cherryman]

I Always wondered why that is so though..

With electricity we can make heat, cold, a peltier does it both for example

Why is it so hard to reverse that. Put heat and cold in.. in a peltier, heat one side, coole the other.   Strange (for me as a none scientist)

[Cloxxki]

User Cloudseeder over on "that other FE forum", proposes an engine that is driven by an extreme heat/cold differential. Super hot steam, and supercooled liquid air, meeting in a chamber. The steam collapses, pulling a vacume. As I envision it, the piston pulled in will be chased by rushed in steam, which then sees the same fate meeting the drop of air. I can see that being way powerul, but have difficulty calculating the energy cost of the required liquid air and supersteam supplies. The implosion of steam to water is a violent one though, I can imagine that there is OU to be had as it just takes up SO much more space than liquid water.
The water and air are part of a closed circuit, are not used up, but rather recycled. The whole engine would supposedl be temperature neutral, rather than radiating heat as waste product.

Perhaps we should look at various elements or substances with each their own unique melting points. Water turns steam at 1 bar by 100ºC. A bit high of a range. Something that boils at a bit lower temperature, perhaps? Or, have a heat exchange full device be enclosed, at partial vacume, optaining more preferable result even with plain water? Hmmm...