A Stirling (aka, Fluidyne) pump contains a working gas (typically air), and a liquid (typically water) piston. The gas is heated, causing it to expand and push on the water column. The expansion cools the air which contracts, at the same time being pushed back by the weight of the displaced water column. The cycle then repeats. The pump consists of two check valves, one on the intake and one on the outlet. These are the only moving solid parts, and the only location for gaskets. The size of the piston loop is adjusted to "tune" the pump for the amount of heat applied.


Video of Simple Design/Operation

Building a Solar Fluidyne

The pump design will likely need to be customized for the CELSS design, but many of the basic steps are covered in detail in this Solar Implementation.

Further Reading

More detailed information and analysis can be found in this Oakridge National Lab report.