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Steam related discussions.
Re: Modern Steam - Formula S Racecar - 3 years ago
There's the burner below Chuk used on his land speed attempt. Unfortunately the pdf with emails plus the pictures is too big to post here. I'm working on a model version. Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: Steam auction - 4 years ago
The Stanley sold for $18,900. https://bid.aumannauctions.com/m/lot-details/index/catalog/21905/lot/3154260?url=%2Fm%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F21905%2F%3Fpage%3D1%26view%3Dlist%26sale%3Dundefined%26cat%3D484%252C491%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno%26sess_id%3Du9hbmcao0dhvp4lf3nsttp41r0 Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Steam auction - 4 years ago
I found this auction in Washington state. There's lots of stuff including steam engines, steam tractors, and a Stanley Model 35 that looks original but needs mechanical restoration. Any idea what the Stanley is worth? I see restored ones going for $50,000 to $60,000. https://bid.aumannauctions.com/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/21905/?page=1&view=list&sale=undefined&cat=484%2C491&by lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
Real regenerative braking along with efficient electric motors and controllers allow a battery with around the energy of 2 to 2.5 gallons of gasoline to run a car as far as around 12 gallons of gasoline in an IC engine. It also makes brakes last a very long time since you don't need to use them during most normal stops. Hybrids are an intermediate step between IC (or steam) and battery electricby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
https://www.kbb.com/new-cars/best-resale-value-awards/best-resale-electric-vehicle/ Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
This completely off topic for this forum, but I just did a comparison of the costs of my Tesla model 3 versus my Subaru BRZ. The BRZ cost $30,000 new but was worth about $11,000 when it was sold. The BRZ was 5 years old and had over 100,000 miles. The Tesla cost $75,000 but came with a $7500 federal tax credit. In the last 10 months I owned the BRZ premium gasoline cost around $110 a monthby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
I've exchanged emails with two of the tether hydroplane builders and have drawings of their boilers and engines. Control for an RC version is my main problem. The only RC high speed boat had an on/off control. I will need a throttle with a way to control the monotube's steam output. Everything has been on the back burner for a while as I work on other projects. Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
I'm afraid Toyota with their hybrids is behind the times. An all electric vehicle is so much simpler. My Tesla Model 3 performance version has only needed to be plugged in at home or in a hotel destination charger for 11,000 miles. No oil changes, waiting at gas stations, or any other costs or maintenance other than running through the car wash weekly to get the bugs and mud off. It is probabby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: Steam turbine driven turbojet - 4 years ago
That aircraft steam generator looks like a giant version of what the steam tether boats run. Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: Steam Outboard - 4 years ago
The condenser on the above outboard is wrapped around a standard Seagull outboard lower unit. Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Steam Outboard - 4 years ago
As a boat guy, I need one of these. Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: Steam turbine driven turbojet - 4 years ago
Reading the SES paper is a great picture of what a modern steam powered car could have been. Their proposal for a V8 two stage expander with reheat is even more interesting. That could have been built on existing transfer lines. Their steam generator also demonstrates the state of the art. It's too bad that development money dried up. Even so, the deeply entrenched position of the gasoline enby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: Compound uniflow steam engine - 4 years ago
See my post in turbo electric vehicles. Thoughts in that application? Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
As long as we've completely wondered off the subject, would a triple compound engine like that described in the post on it have any advantage, especially as part of a constant speed and load power plant driving a generator in a battery electric vehicle? How about with some reheat between cylinders? Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
It would be very hard to beat that mileage with any steam car, but I bet a steam car could be built to out accelerate it. A Doble has gone from 0 to 75 in 10 seconds. The best electric cars will get close to double the equivalent mileage and get from 0 to 60 in around half the time. Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
My Tesla model 3 performance version gets around 350 to 375 watt hours per mile when I drive in "fun mode" on my 120 mile commute. That means driving 65 mph over the coast range with occasional bursts to 90+ mph while passing log trucks and 75 mph down the freeway. Yesterday that trip used 274 watt hours per mile driving a little more conservatively over all two lane roads at aroundby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
All modern electric cars use an AC motor driven by a solid state speed control that converts DC battery voltage to a variable three phase AC for the motor. That's the most efficient setup. We ran a brushed DC motor in our hydro because the rules required it in 2008. It was the least expensive option at the time and was driven by a 2000 amp chopped DC solid state speed control. Today I would loby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: Fundling - 4 years ago
The only grant I was involved in ended up being supported by the community college grant writer. We won based on my ideas and his skill as a grant writer. Have you looked into possible educational possibilities at colleges? If you can repurpose your project as an environmental project you might find a government grant that could help. The grant I was involved in got $2 million over 5 years. Iby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
LOL Feel free to be grumpy. I consider myself to be a cranky old man as well. On the turbine as a torque converter, how many gears did Jim Cranks land speed record car use? I think it only had a single speed transmission. It had to operate over a larger speed range than the average car. Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
Turbines work exactly like torque converters. In fact a torque converter is a combination pump and turbine. That means that a turbine has favorable torque characteristics over a fairly wide range. It may only need a two or three speed transmission in a car. Of course efficiency at off design speed will be poor, but I doubt that efficiency would compete with modern IC engines in any case. Loby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
Peter Brow Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > IC cars, and battery-electric cars, and > ,IC-electric hybrid cars, will become extinct. > Traditional steam cars, with Stanley-like engines, > will replace them. > > Peter I don't see any large car manufacturers spending much development money on anything but battery electric cars. It's onlyby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
Manufacturing is orders of magnitude harder than making one or two prototypes. I race model boats where electric power is slowly taking over from IC power. The major IC power competitor for these boats comes from mass produced industrial engines. It's very hard to beat the costs or quality of something that's made by the tens of thousands. The same is true for cars. EVs have just started to bby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
Back to electric cars. The battery in my Tesla holds the energy of between 2 and 2.5 gallons of gasoline. That much electricity costs at least as much or more than the gasoline. However the car goes as far as My Subaru BRZ did on around 9 gallons of gasoline. That's plenty for my 120 mile weekly commute, even in fun mode over hills and along curvy roads. Its electricity here comes at least 50by lohring - SteamStuff
Re: turboelectric vehicle - 4 years ago
I own a "performance EV" and the performance is incredible. The motors are cooled as is the battery. In fact cooling is what limits performance. In performance mode fans provide extra cooling, but there's still a limit to the time, set by battery heating, you can get full power. Essentially you are replacing most of the battery with a steam turbine power plant. I would think theby lohring - SteamStuff
Latest in High Tech Steam - 4 years ago
The following is a secret video smuggled from a lab deep in Russia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ox1Cb9uoy8 Seriously, this guy builds some of the most fanciful vehicles. Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: Opposed Piston Engine? - 5 years ago
That design has been around a long time. The only production version I know about was the Junkers Jumo aircraft diesel. Modern versions were developed by Eco motors (see below) as well. None have succeeded both because diesels have become seriously unpopular (thanks VW) and because there hasn't been a pressing need to design new IC engines. The emissions and economy issues have been solved wby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: Take The Off-The-Shelf Steam Car Water Pump Challenge! - 5 years ago
Belville washers make a more compact spring in applications like this. You can stack them in series or in parallel to get the force and travel you need. I used them to lift a heavy turret tool post for a large NC lathe decades ago. It needed to disengage from a Curvic coupling to rotate. Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: Take The Off-The-Shelf Steam Car Water Pump Challenge! - 5 years ago
And a spring on the counter piston can be used to adjust the maximum pump pressure, regulating the system pressure. Lohring Millerby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: 3D printing - 5 years ago
The issue in manufacturing is making one offs. The problem of making thousands was solved a long time ago. Today, one person with an NC mill can replace a shop with a dozen mills and lathes along with their operators. They also needed a tool shop to provide fixtures. I look at 3D printing as a possible replacement for limited production castings. It is also a way to produce very complex parts iby lohring - SteamStuff
Re: 3D printing - 5 years ago
Three D printing can make one off castings easy. You can print the part and core box for a sand cast part. You can print a wax part for investment casting. These methods are common commercially and by hobbyists. Some manufacturers have directly printed sand molds. You need to understand a 3D solid modeling program and the learning curve is steep. Some steam engines are high performance andby lohring - SteamStuff