内容简介：
Air Engines is a comprehensively illustrated, self-contained, and highly readable account of the evolution of the air engine, of the many variants of the basic principle, of the methods available for design, and of current and future applications. This wide-ranging treatment spans the entire subject, from previously undisclosed technical details of Robert Stirling's original invention of 1816 to engines currently under development. The treatment of the regenerator is the most straightforward yet published, allowing wire diameter and mesh number for best operation to be read from tables and charts. The history of air engines is fascinating in its own right, but the current upsurge of interest in CHP (combined heat and power) means that its most important role lies ahead: the air engine is the only prime mover offering the full environmental benefits of CHP.