1 Steam Cars : Phorum
General Steam Car topics
off the shelf steam project
Posted by: john fehn (IP Logged)
Date: June 30, 2005 08:32AM
<HTML>I’m presently ambling in the general direction of creating a small, slow turning, very visible steam engine to power an auto alternator to run a golf cart (or something) and continuously charge it’s batteries. it’s important to me to use as much off-the-shelf components as possible. (for previous discussions of this topic, see ‘Off the shelf steam valves’ on the ‘www.steamautomobile.com’ forum) I’d like to attach one or two hydraulic cylinders (the steam pistons) to the peddles of a bike and connect the alternator to the bike rear wheel by a ‘v’ belt (fan belt). however, now that i’ve ordered the cylinders, i’m having second thoughts about the bicycle setup being strong enough. for continuous cruising the steam/electric generator needs to put out about 5 HP, since it is claimed that the GEM golf cart/car can go 30MPH using a 5 horse power motor. so i figure that's what the bike chain needs to handle. maybe? if anyone knows of a stronger 12 inch throw off-the-shelf crankshaft, i’m all ears.
BOILER:
off the shelf steam generator? maybe? while visiting my mom-in-law, i noticed she has a 'one-pass-through-on-demand' gas water heater mounted on the bathroom wall. it’s a nice size, about 8X14X20 inches. i’ve heard that these type of things are pressure tested to around 300# and i presume that converting it from natural gas to propane is just a matter of re-adjusting the air/gas flow. with the water turned on all the way, it heats the water from ambient, which is maybe 60 degrees F. to maybe 160 degrees at the rate of about 3 gallons a minute. that's an increase of 100 degrees, so i'm thinking that if the flow rate is slowed to one gallon a minute, the water temp would increase maybe 300 degrees to around 360 degrees. that's a saturated steam pressure of around 150 PSIA. that’s pretty much max for my project.
but there is one caveat: this heater is meant to be used with water filling the tubes all the time. so my plan is to over pressurize the boiler water to around 250# so that it’s always completely full, right up to the throttle valve. from there the out-coming slurry should go through a separator whereby the liquid component goes to a dryer tube immersed in the fire where the liquid can boil to steam and rise back into the steam line to the engine.
OILER:
I'm considering a displacement oiler because it has no moving parts and can be bought off the shelf (i hope!). if someone can recommend a source for a displacement oiler, it would be thoroughly appreciated. the only “lubricator” my search engine found is kind of small being actually meant for use on a one and one half inch scale garden locomotive.
a cyclone water/steam separator would be nice to locate too.
tks so much,
John Féhn
Budapest</HTML>
BOILER:
off the shelf steam generator? maybe? while visiting my mom-in-law, i noticed she has a 'one-pass-through-on-demand' gas water heater mounted on the bathroom wall. it’s a nice size, about 8X14X20 inches. i’ve heard that these type of things are pressure tested to around 300# and i presume that converting it from natural gas to propane is just a matter of re-adjusting the air/gas flow. with the water turned on all the way, it heats the water from ambient, which is maybe 60 degrees F. to maybe 160 degrees at the rate of about 3 gallons a minute. that's an increase of 100 degrees, so i'm thinking that if the flow rate is slowed to one gallon a minute, the water temp would increase maybe 300 degrees to around 360 degrees. that's a saturated steam pressure of around 150 PSIA. that’s pretty much max for my project.
but there is one caveat: this heater is meant to be used with water filling the tubes all the time. so my plan is to over pressurize the boiler water to around 250# so that it’s always completely full, right up to the throttle valve. from there the out-coming slurry should go through a separator whereby the liquid component goes to a dryer tube immersed in the fire where the liquid can boil to steam and rise back into the steam line to the engine.
OILER:
I'm considering a displacement oiler because it has no moving parts and can be bought off the shelf (i hope!). if someone can recommend a source for a displacement oiler, it would be thoroughly appreciated. the only “lubricator” my search engine found is kind of small being actually meant for use on a one and one half inch scale garden locomotive.
a cyclone water/steam separator would be nice to locate too.
tks so much,
John Féhn
Budapest</HTML>
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