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Re: high pressure valves - 9 years ago
Got all the parts collected and lubricants and water treatment ordered. Ready to put some stuff together, but a few other projects need finished first. like rebuilding the transmission on the ford tractor I have sitting in the way. Already working on processes for the 2nd steam project. I have 2 parts of a 3 part core binding system, been communicating with a salesman for alpha reby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: high pressure valves - 9 years ago
thanks, I missed that one. much better price and it'll do the job. I have a fella coming to buy some lumber tomorrow, That'll give me enough $$ to order a couple at least. And I'll also order some tooling for the old milling machines so I can start using them to finish the engine parts. I expect making a few old fashened balanced valves would take a lot more than $100 worth of work apeiceby ReubenT - SteamStuff
high pressure valves - 9 years ago
well I got distracted and it's been way too long, but I decided I'd better finish my boiler pretty soon and then finish the engine I started building. Since I got most of the parts collected and never went any further. So I went looking for the two valves I need, or 3 actually, 2 hand valves, one for engine supply line and one for accessory outlet (for seed bed steamer) and a safby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: valves for engine conversion - 10 years ago
Been reading a bunch of technical stuff in the old engine design books. Looks like a D slide valve, although it works ok, is a compromise in favor of simplicity and ease of construction. And they solved it by adding another slide valve on top the main one for adjusting the cutoff. Whereas with a corliss valve intake can be controlled independantly of exhaust which looks like an advantage inby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: basic steam system design info? - 10 years ago
Going to need several bearing joints, I could use either brass or babbitt. If brass I'd melt down some old radiators, they're supposed to be copper tubes and brass tanks I think. not an alloy made for bearing service but I suppose it would work. Although it's going to be a bit softer than bronze. Concerning babbitt; what grade is good for the job? do I need the expensive stuff?by ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: Tata Motors Compressed Air car available August 2012 - 10 years ago
I'm not into arguing, would rather just be quiet and let everyone be deceived by the system. However I will say a little bit and then shut up. because I don't really care if everyone understands it or not. Most people never will. Massive over unity generators have been built, and they do work, and they DO NOT violate the laws of thermo dynamics, they only appear to violate them to thoseby ReubenT - Miscellaneous Technical
Re: basic steam system design info? - 10 years ago
I have that book on pouring babbitt, will do it if I need to. I think MBL will either partially or completely solve the starting torque issue with bearings. since it forms a film on the surface of metal and makes it super slick. But I've seen the rollers in bearings break up under too much side loading, don't think any lubricant would help that, so the limit is there. My sorghum press madby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: Tata Motors Compressed Air car available August 2012 - 10 years ago
it is hard for me to imagine a car going very far on even a very high pressure can of air. Because there's nothing there to serve as storage. At least with steam you have water, which could be compared to a battery for storage. and the fuel to energize the water. Do they compress it so far it turns into liquid air? then they might have something of a battery type of energy storage. However Iby ReubenT - Miscellaneous Technical
Re: basic steam system design info? - 10 years ago
I'm going to make it as simple and cheap as possible and still have a reliable machine, so I'll use whatever I have or what looks like will work for me, unless someone tells me it absolutely won't work. I was measuring the stuff I have, and the flywheel has a hole in just the right place to put in a crank pin, but I'll have to reinforce the hole with a steel block bolted on it since it's notby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: basic steam system design info? - 10 years ago
Yes I understand all that's said so far. Just have to figure out what would work best for a given situation and go for it even if some things are not quite ideal. I think I have a handle on matching boiler and engine size now to be sure I'm in the vicinity of the right match. And I think a low speed high torque engine would be fine for a low speed high torque vehicle. Yah, beefy componentsby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: valves for engine conversion - 10 years ago
after going round and round on the subject, trying to decide what would be best as a first try. I've about decided to not try the IC conversion now, instead run the boiler at lower psi and make a basic old fashioned design like the stationary and traction engines had. since I already have the cy sleeves and rings to match, the shafting, flywheel, flat pulley, a couple large pillow block bby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: basic steam system design info? - 10 years ago
Ok it's getting clearer. Kind of like PSI gets the work done but evaporation rate tells the psi how much work it can do. After all the energy comes from the heat transfer. you could make 1000 psi with a candle on a little tube of water, but how much work will it do? But now it looks like we might get more energy from the system if the pressure/temperature were lower, Since as was mentioneby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: basic steam system design info? - 10 years ago
Thanks a lot Caleb, most of it makes sense. (Unlike my brother and cousin who're doing something that doesn't make sense. oh well, I'll stick with shop work and let them finish the house) It just seems to me that higher PSI would do more work at a given evaporation rate. So a mono tube boiler would be OK in a boat where the load is more or less constant, or even a tractor doingby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: basic steam system design info? - 10 years ago
Thanks a lot, lot's of good info to run with. By the way; doesn't boiler HP go up when PSI increases? There aren't any PSI figures on the chart of those 4 boiler types. I'll have to balance PSI with ease of engine construction, try not to go any higher than needed to get the job done with a reasonable size boiler/engine combination. I'm thinking about the possibility of a yarrow boilerby ReubenT - SteamStuff
basic steam system design info? - 10 years ago
Where do I find design info? like boiler HP calculations based on cu ft heat surface and pressure, matching boiler size to engine size, etc. Perhaps something on steam flow rate to determine best port size for a given pressure, displacement, and rpm. I used to have a little pamphlet with some of that info. but can't find it right now. I know there can be a lot of variables, but a knby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: valves for engine conversion - 10 years ago
OK, thanks for all the ideas, I'l see what I can come up with. I do have plenty of stuff laying around, old hydraulic cylinders and valves, and lots of odds and ends of vehicles and parts. An industrial metal scrap yard 20 mi away that is my treasure yard. I can buy all the scrap steel I want for 25 cents a lb. (used to be .15 and some things were .10, but now they're paying close to 1by ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: solid fuel on the road - 10 years ago
The efficiency sounds real good. Just have to provide a little extra hauling capacity for the fuel, which in the case of a good size private truck would be easy enough. Tax will not be an issue with a sold fueled vehicle unless you're driving a commercial truck. With the commercial trucks they have a process in place of making sure every truck pays their share of road tax for every state theby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: solid fuel on the road - 10 years ago
Yah, shredded would work best and could be used in an auto feed furnace. But I was thinking simple, pick it up as we travel, cut em up and burn em to get down the road. Maybe a little labor intensive keeping a fire stoker busy, and raking out the wire trash, but a feasible way of getting something hauled on next to nothing for fuel cost. Taking extra time to pick up road trash as well, orby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: valves for engine conversion - 10 years ago
Ok another question here. It won't be my first valve to build but I can't help but think about it. Thinking about all feasible options. Concerning a balanced poppet, is there anything being manufactured along that line that will handle steam heat? I don't see anything searching the net. Or. How is the best way to go about making the valve rod with double seats and hardness needed fby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: valves for engine conversion - 10 years ago
OK, so a plate with close enough seal to a surface will act like it has a vacuum under it? So to minimize pressure of valve against surface the size of valve bottom surface needs to be minimized. But that won't reduce the metal to metal PSI. Looks like the higher the steam psi the harder it'll be to get by without a balanced valve of some kind. If someone hasn't already tried it and tby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! - 10 years ago
We would find that some of the best technical persons, very good with machines and physical skills, are very bad at language skills. I find myself that way. Fortunately I had a good teacher (my mother who had been a grade school teacher specializing in reading with 1-2 grades) who made sure I could read very well. She did that by waiting till I was around 9 to teach me to read, becauseby ReubenT - Miscellaneous Technical
solid fuel on the road - 10 years ago
Although I'm not anywhere near having a steam road vehicle, I always notice all the shredded truck tires along the hi-ways and think what great boiler fuel they'd be, the tire shops sometimes have piles of used tires they have to pay to get rid of. My uncle was cutting them up with an abrasive saw and burning them a piece at a time with forced air, and said they were burning clean, no blaby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: valves for engine conversion - 10 years ago
Ok, in reguards to Caleb's comments. It sounds like you are talking about a D valve with 3x3 open space at O PSI under it. Which would indeed have 1350 lb at 150 psi. Wheras a flat valve block with ports having only perhaps 1/2 sq in of space should see only 75 lb minus any back pressure, assuming the metal to metal seal around the ports is perfect. I am assuming that the pressure applieby ReubenT - SteamStuff
Re: valves for engine conversion - 10 years ago
Excuse me, I made a slight error, my boiler is actually the 15-40 hp Ofeldt, built on plans obtained from Peter Carlich. The various views on the subject are good, helps figure out which one to try first. And Thanks Caleb, the pros and cons analysis is very beneficial. It looks like an old fashioned D valve might be simplest, but I was of the impression that higher pressure wouldby ReubenT - SteamStuff
valves for engine conversion - 10 years ago
Hi ya'll, Reuben Titus here in middle TN, I've been interested in steam power for a long time, since I was 13 I guess and got acquainted with Robert Johnson at Rossville GA. in the late 70's. I'm into growing food, farming they call it, and looking for ways to do it without depending on outside input. I'm searching for ideas. I want a tractor that'll run on something other than what Iby ReubenT - SteamStuff