Learning Objective
Students will be able to:
- explain the working principle of a heat engine
- describe the parts of a heat engine
- identify and describe the different configurations of Stirling engines
- calculate the efficiency of a heat engine
Materials & Teacher-developed Resources
-Paper, pencils, software (www.animatedengines.com)
- a “Mini Hot Air Stirling Engine Model Educational Kit” (it can be bought from “ebay” with less than $30.00)
-Student handouts
Learning Activities
-The teacher will review the laws of thermodynamics
- As a practical application of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, the teacher introduces the heat engines, describing their parts and how do they work
- Students will play the software simulating the operation of a heat engine, identifying the four processes of an ideal Stirling cycle
- Using the software, the teacher will compare and contrast the different configurations of a Stirling engine
- The teacher will demonstrate how does the Stirling engine work, using the model educational kit
- using the handouts, students will perform computations related to the efficiency of a heat engine