Power Machines With Dry Ice Engines

When we think of engines, we think of heat, combustion, steam, electric motors, and the like.

A novel engine, the Stirling Engine, invented in 1816 by Robert Stirling, uses the temperature differential between two surfaces to alternately heat and cool air to push and pull a piston in a cylinder, with the back-and forth motion transferred by a crankshaft to rotary motion.

The temperature differential can be obtained with dry ice as well as heat. Small demonstrator Stirling Engines can be powered with dry ice. A YouTube® video of a Stirling Engine running on dry ice is here.

A Google search for Stirling Engines will reveal many sources of complete engines of all sizes, kits, books, and Science Fair projects. A Science Fair project powering an engine with dry ice might be different enough to really impress the judges. Please keep in mind the dry ice safety precautions.

Stirling Engines are very quiet, so they are used on submarines. Some commercial Stirling Engines are rated at 200 kilowatts and more.

Call Continental Carbonic toll-free at 800-DRY-ICE2. Visit our News Archive to find out about more ways to use dry ice. Use your ZIP code to find your closest Continental Carbonic location.