Press releases
Rev. Robert Stirling’s Stirling engine was awarded an Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Engineering Heritage Award on Monday 7 December.
The award is in recognition of the engine’s ability to save fuel as well as creating a safer alternative to steam engines. Rev. Robert Stirling invented the engine in 1816 before presenting it to the University of Glasgow in 1827. The heat engine operates by cyclic compression and expansion of air, or another gas at different temperatures.
The Engineering Heritage Awards recognise artefacts of special engineering significance and previous winners of these awards include Concorde 101, Tower Bridge and the Jaguar E-type.
The award was presented by Stuart Cameron MBE, FREng, past Vice President the Institution, to Professor David Gaimster, Director of The Hunterian, University of Glasgow, at a special ceremony.
Stuart Cameron MBE, FREng, former Vice President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’, said:
“The Stirling engine was a fantastic bit of innovation because of its ability to run directly on any available heat source, not just one that has been produced by combustion.
“It was invented two hundred years ago and although initially the utilisation tended to be relatively low, it is now being used extensively worldwide on marine engines, along with micro combined heat and power plants, which confirms its legacy.
“This invention is deserving of the award due to its significant impact on engineering, and society as a whole.”
Professor David Gaimster, Director of The Hunterian Museum, University of Glasgow, said:
“We are delighted to receive this prestigious award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The effect the Stirling engine has had on society is evident for all to see and is still being used in many capacities today.”