MILESTONES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STIRLING ENGINE
1816 - Patenting
The Stirling engine was developed by the Scottish Reverend Robert Stirling (1970 – 1978) as an alternative to the upcoming steam engine, which resulted in many accidents and casualities due to boiler explosions. In the early development stages of the Stirling engine, the device was not technically sophisticated or advanced. The first Stirling engines were in great need of optimisation in terms of size, weight, volume, performance and power.
Late 19. Century - The first blossom
At this time approximately 250,000 Stirling engines are in use. The - by the standards of time - small-sized engine was a mass product and used like our today’s electric motors – for example to drive ventilating fans and pumps.
1936 - The Philips Stirling engine
The Philips electronics group developed a Stirling engine as a generator to supply its portable radios. These radios were suitable for use in remote areas without access to mains electricity.
1945 to 1975 - Forgotten hero
The Stirling engine was used for many industrial and military applications in this time, such as drives for ships and submarines.
1962 - The turning point
William Beale of Ohio University in Athens (USA) patented the free-piston Stirling engine.
From 1975 - The comeback
Many different companies from various industries, such as automotive, marine propulsion and heating systems, discovered this forgotten and valuable technology, and adapted it for their own purposes.
1995 - Development of Microgen
On the basis of the patent of William Beale from 1962, the Microgen company began the development of the free-piston Stirling engine with the aim to launch an engine onto the market that was ready for mass production.
2008 - Start of production
Microgen produced the first engines in a highly technologically-advanced factory in China.
Now, nearly 200 years after the initial invention of the Stirling engine, a compact, relatively quiet and maintenance-free device is commercially available. For the first time ever, all of the theoretical advantages of the Stirling engine can now be implemented technically.