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| vtsteam:
Here's a photo of one found after some research. http://www.wellman-group.com/boilers/products/stone-steam-generators Also, just missed a scanned version of the Stone operator's manual -- the site where it was published closed down in the last 6 months! (www.locodocs.co.uk). Did a lookup of the site on the internet archive but they'd only archived the cover of the manual and not the contents :( I did however locate a used copy of the manual through Amazon, and it was reasonably priced enough to order it. Wikipedia has a good article reiterating the details of steam (vapor) generators -- these were primarily used as railroad auxiliary saturated steam heat generators. Nevertheless very interesting for development of a low pressure monotube steam engine generator. I believe these were produced at least into the '60s. That makes it even more interesting. |
| vtsteam:
Speaking of railroad monotube steam generators, there is a very intriguing passage in Experimental Flash Steam describing the Besler steam railcar, put into service on the New York New Haven and Hartford Railway Co. (which would have brought them near to my own neck of the woods) about 1937. 1000 hp, @1500 PSI "The boiler is of continuous flow, non-water level type It has no drums or headers but is a continuous tube from the boiler inlet to the throttle. The water enters at the top and passes down through a series of flat coils where it is heated and then boils in the helical coils at the bottom surrounding the combustion space, afterwards passing to the superheater coils just above the firebox and emerges as superheated steam. The boiler is 4 feet in diameter and 6 feet 5 inches in height. The oil burner is of the pressure atomising type and of special design and construction. "The train performs a daily total mileage of 317.26 miles and operates in almost continuous service from 6:00 A.M to 10:20 P.M" Now that is tantalizing! I have never found more information about these railcars than the above. The scale, the regular usage, the type of transport are all unique, as far as I know for monotube steam. If anyone has or turns up more information about this chapter of steam transport, I would greatly appreciate hearing about it! |
| Raggle:
The search continues! I hope I can be more help. Meanwhile, this is the book that spiked my original interest, borrowed from my local library http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Doble_steam_cars_buses_lorries_and_railc.html?id=eIVTAAAAMAAJ&redir_esc=y and again after seeing the Stone's - that link is UK Google page but clicking "find in a library" I find a good number have it in stock. It doesn't seem to be available to buy. I suggest you try your local area from a similar (US) google page. I hope your machine doesn't look like this: http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/genboiler.htm Thinking forward your engine might possibly work part-time driving a wood chipper so you could have a hopper feed to the boiler :lol: Ray |
| vtsteam:
Hey thanks again Raggle. I haven't begun to build the monotube yet. Just finishing up the conversion engine. It is together now, and needs to be run in and a leak sealed. I checked it on compressed air briefly this eveningand it does a sharp half turn but stops past BDC, but clearly it wants to go.I need to patch the leak (in a poppet valve chamber plug), and maybe change the timing. The cutoff is intended for steam, so quite short (55 degrees) for compressed air. I may make up a second valve with a 180 degree cutoff just to get it running on air and broken in. Then I can start on the boiler. The link to the boiler you gave didn't work for me, but I think I remember that one anyway. No It won't be like that one. I have a wood chip burner built already, though not up to the capacity of my conversion engine. I intend to try the burner with some smaller model engines I have before tackling a larger monotube. Last night I altered my search terms and found a video of the Besler monotube railway car mentioned above -- it's included in a promotional film also including the better known Besler steam airplane. Besler must have had quite a bit of financial backing to venture into such disparate monotube projects. Here's the video -- pretty amazing detail -- I think you can see the monotube boiler in the plane when the cowl is open. http://archive.org/embed/BeslerCo1932 |
| 1hand:
Hey, I don't know much, but I like watching someone that does! make sure you post pics, when you start twisting metal! :worthless: |
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