Gallery, Projects and General > The Design Shop
Daft idea? Flash steam engine..
John Hill:
--- Quote from: Weston Bye on February 28, 2013, 02:21:03 PM ---I recall seeing an article on just such an engine in an old issue of ....Model Engineer, I believe. 'Twas exactly as you describe. I will see if I can find it in my archives.
--- End quote ---
Hi Weston, that could be interesting!
John (a.k.a. The Artful Bodger)
Weston Bye:
I found the article in Model Engineer, vol 132, Number 3304, 2 September 1966. The article is "Steam Power Without Boilers" by Clifford Hall. Seem that he took out a patent on the method, according to the article, patent #923235.
The gist of the engine is an extension of the cylinder that contains a region of a narrow slot or space in a material of high thermal conductivity for maximum heat transfer where the water is injected. A poppet valve serves to exhaust the expanded steam during the return stroke. A spurt of water is injected at15 degrees before TDC while the exhaust valve is still open, the valve closing at about 5 degrees before TDC. Expansion occurs until the valve is opened again around 30 degrees before BDC. This timing varies with RPM.
The inventor saw fit to use a carbon piston to retard heat transfer. The only illustrations in the article were simple sketches of a couple of cylinder head arrangements that the author was experimenting with, and some photos of heavily shrouded experimental engines that showed little detail.
John Hill:
Thanks Weston.
My idea at this time is to build a beam engine (so that I can have a vertical cylinder). The cylinder head will be over the fire which may be some sort of stove or even a real fire.
The cylinder will be mounted in a vertical outer cylinder with enough room for the heat from the stove to circulate around the cylinder and exhaust through a chimney or funnel.
The exhaust valve will be a poppet valve in the cylinder head with a two position latch to keep it either open or closed, as the piston comes down the valve will be pushed closed by the cylinder head and as it reaches top of stroke the valve stem will contact a fixed stop which will push it open for the down stroke.
The cylinder head will be two aluminium (I can not think of a cheap source of copper to do this) disks with a small clearance machined on the face(s) so that when they come together there will be a small clearance for the steam producing space. Steam will pass into the cylinder through holes drilled in the top disk. Water will enter the steam generator through a copper pipe screwed into the lower disk. I am hoping that this configuration will give scope for easily changing the size and clearances in the steam generator and also being easy to dismantle if de scaling is required.
Water will be injected when the valve closes, or a bit before.
John
pgp001:
--- Quote from: Weston Bye on March 03, 2013, 04:35:53 PM ---I found the article in Model Engineer, vol 132, Number 3304, 2 September 1966. The article is "Steam Power Without Boilers" by Clifford Hall. Seem that he took out a patent on the method, according to the article, patent #923235.
The gist of the engine is an extension of the cylinder that contains a region of a narrow slot or space in a material of high thermal conductivity for maximum heat transfer where the water is injected. A poppet valve serves to exhaust the expanded steam during the return stroke. A spurt of water is injected at15 degrees before TDC while the exhaust valve is still open, the valve closing at about 5 degrees before TDC. Expansion occurs until the valve is opened again around 30 degrees before BDC. This timing varies with RPM.
The inventor saw fit to use a carbon piston to retard heat transfer. The only illustrations in the article were simple sketches of a couple of cylinder head arrangements that the author was experimenting with, and some photos of heavily shrouded experimental engines that showed little detail.
--- End quote ---
I remember that chap came to our house when I was just a boy, he had invented the "boiler-less" steam engine and wanted someone to join forces with him to further the design and take it to market. He approached my late father about this and I remember him setting it up on our kitchen table and running it.
The engine form memory would be similar in size to a Stuart 10V, and it ran very sweetly, the reasons why my dad never got involved are lost in the mists of time now.
Phil
Manxmodder:
Just had a read of this and it is an interesting concept.
Just a quick thought on the potential problems caused by scale build up in the heat exchanger or injector,if water out of the tank of a dehumidifier is used then surely the scaling up problems would be completely overcome.
Anyone?
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