Richard J Smith steam systems

Does anyone have available pages 2 and 3 of the super S.A.S.S. steam generator series drawings designed be Ricard J Smith back in May 1971,this was the basis of his mini bike produced for Bob Noble. I have contacted both Tom Kimmel and Karl Petersen neither of which have these drawings available I have also looked on the SACA storeroom site.I believe they show the fueland water control system.Any info would be of great assistance.

I have hopes of getting these restored for use.

Karl Petersen

Greg Myatt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Does anyone have available pages 2 and 3 of the
> super S.A.S.S. steam generator series drawings
> designed be Ricard J Smith back in May 1971,this
> was the basis of his mini bike produced for Bob
> Noble. I have contacted both Tom Kimmel and Karl
> Petersen neither of which have these drawings
> available I have also looked on the SACA storeroom
> site.I believe they show the fueland water control
> system.Any info would be of great assistance.:


I'll look thru all my old papers tomorrow; I have lots of Dick's old papers and I might have what you're looking for.

A word of caution, though:

This system was a low thermal inertia, high energy system; if you didn't have it pretty right at the start you're gonna have a lot of trouble with it.

Dick had accumulated a lot of experience with systems like these and he knew how to approach the operation from first firing from the conservative side. The rest of us (that includes me!) didn't have a clue what to look for, or how to avoid the disasters that were too easy to create. The best scenario would start with a lot of feedwater relative to the firing rate and then to carefully trim the firing rate vs FW while observing the pressure and temp. Either reduce the FW rate or increase the fire--or both. After you have stabilized the controls for this beast you can then attempt to provide steam to the engine with all the variables it introduces.

Good luck with all that!! You'll quickly learn the in's and out's of modern steam control technology--probably the hard way.

Bill

Yes, you have to set the temperature and pressure and overheat low at the beginning and sneak them up until you get nice dry steam which doesn't burn up your engine or blow tubes. How do you know? I use a piece of paper across the steam line before the throttle and when it scorches badly it is just below 500F. A thermocouple meter or one of those cheap infrared sensors also works if you actually want to know the temperature and realize this is the 21st century.
In all the steam generators I made and those I designed for other people, only two have blown a tube: One because I did not use the overheat control at all and the other because the controls were disengaged for shipping and the shipper decided he would reconnect the battery and turn on the key since he did not want to winch it off the carrier. It cost him 10 times the shipping cost to have it repaired.

Karl Petersen

Smith boiler control.

Many thanks for input gentlemen.
Bill, I was proposing to use a slightly larger version of his mini bike boiler as the power unit I am going to use is larger than the O&R Dick Smith used. From looking at his patent and various photos of the control system on the boiler I am amazed he managed to obtain any consistent control of steam output with those lever valves. Tom Kimmel was right when he said he thought Smith was a genius
A smaller version of the white flow motor control system looks promising thought with such low water flows the flow piston fit/tapered water way may be too critical and although self cleaning may be subject to jamming if feed water is not filtered suitably, but if linked to a long taper needle valve would allow good proportional control of propane burner (not liked by many but convenient and easy to control)
Karl. Novel idea using scorched paper but cost of thermocouple works out cheaper than a visit to our pharmacy Smiths idea of flooding boiler each time before starting so fire cut off on pressure rather than temp avoided melted tubes though having expanding tube in direct contact with flame would give overhead control whether on not steam was present
Frustrated Thanks for attachments I already have the Smith patent drawings, the 2 I am after show I believe bypass flow controller similar to that used on educator buggy also burner tube dimensions
Final word. With regard to 21st century we should be asking ourselves why gas vehicles have now progressed to having engine management systems fitted to make them more reliable and efficient
These would make steam control so easy, with modern plc units analog inputs of pressure, flow and temp in various sections of a boiler can control burner, superheat, feed water pumps and can with analog outputs be adjusted so easily.
To allay any doubts if you can understand relay logic circuits you can program a Mitsubishi plc and these unlike computers don’t go wrong they just run programs

All files from this thread

File Name	File Size		Posted by	Date
3507258.PDF	733.7 KB	open | download	frustrated	08/15/2011	Read message