Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Sterling engines for space
NASA-funded scientists are designing Stirling engines, first invented in 1816, to power long-range spacecraft that travel too far from the Sun to use solar power. Decaying plutonium heats up helium until it starts a chain reaction of contraction and expansion, producing sound waves that fire a piston.
"Inside the engine, the acoustic pressure is high enough to pop your eardrums," (Northrop Grumman researcher Mike) Petach told New Scientist. "It's louder than a thunderclap." He adds that the sound does not escape the engine, so the device could be used to produce electricity for submarines, which must glide undetected beneath the ocean's surface.Link
posted by David Pescovitz at 02:35:33 AM permalink | Other blogs' comments
