Robert StirlingDied 6 Jun 1878 at age 87 (born 25 Oct 1790).Scottish minister and inventor of the Stirling Cycle engine. Its principles were included in his first British patent, No. 4081 (1816), which he called the heat economiser as he described methods of regenerating heat from exhaust back into input gases. He continued to refine his idea for years in his home workshop during his spare time. The first practical Stirling engine generated about 2 horsepower, spending two years pumping water out of a quarry. By 1843, he had a modified steam engine producing 37 horsepower. He was assisted in preparing further patents by his brother James, a mechanical engineer who managed a foundry where the engine was manufactured. Robert also made scientific instruments.« |
