The Stirling Cycle is a thermodynamic cycle that describes the general class of Stirling devices. This includes the original Stirling Engine (1). As component power density has increased over the years a natural progression has been occurring in electronics cooling. First generation electronic components required little to no external cooling; heat dissipation into a PCB was often sufficient. After this came the development of passive heat sinks which used increased surface area to dissipate heat via natural convection and radiation.
A shift in the basic electronics cooling methods has been sought. This would be a method that not only transports heat but also converts it into a more easily controlled form of energy. Mechanical motion is such energy and this can be generated using the Stirling Cycle. To learn more, please visit our free article, “Using the Stirling Cycle for Cooling & Power Generation“