How Stirling Engines Work | HowStuffWorks
The Stirling engine is a heat engine that is vastly different from the internal-combustion engine in your car. Invented by Robert Stirling in 1816, the Stirling engine has the potential to be much more efficient than a gasoline or diesel engine.But today, Stirling engines are used only in some very specialized applications, like in submarines or auxiliary power generators for yachts, where ...