Steam Engines > Steam engines
Steam Engine!!!
JW:
I have been working on steam engines as a hobby since I was first ASE Certified as a Master Automobile Techician at age 20, 18 years ago, the video im going to display is like a 12th generation unit, and has finalized the design of the 'APEX' prototype flashsteam engine,
in order to get this far, I had to develope and patent a 'varible lift direct injection valve as I have patent numbers of- US 6,928,992 7,552,715
The Injection Valve is used to run and throttle the engine. The injector handles 2400psi [dont try this at home]
ACB R&D 2004 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZasy9XNbYU
The 4cycle steam engine(my development) is open source, also there is a forum there http://www.flashsteam.com/flashsteam_forum/index.php
The latest design uses superheated steam aspired into an insulated cylinder and head, the 4cycle engine uses direct water injection, that is injected/flashed/released into the compressed superheated mass of steam compressed in the cylinder.
This is anticipated to be the most safe/user friendly application on the modern steam engine design. Since the engine block is used as both expander and boiler. Of the $250,000.00 invested it should be possible to make a working prototype, as always the team that makes the working model can boast open source development. (meaning of the 250,000 development spent, all data learned is shared currently)
Main website here- http://www.flashsteam.com
Ive been a user here on the FL forum for a long time and figure you guys know ive been at this steam stuff awhile and could use some new users on my forum, but again, there isnt really much going on with steam... I have personally funded all development, and there are no sponsors or investors...
-edit- (everyone can edit there posts for 4 hours after making any post)
Just incase you wanted to know how good the burner looking thing works-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKDSX3lMasw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI4SHygt3PQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9H5NXdSM5g
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DanB:
Do you have some notion about the efficiency of the system? I've tried to get my head around that with my generators. My 'listeroid' is around 20% from fuel to electricity, my antique steam engine is generally between 2-4% depending on outside temperature and the 'mood' of the operator.
JW:
Hi Dan,
At this point actual efficiency from fuel burned to output in watts is unknown. Im hoping to get this evaluated with the next working prototype. A WAG at this point is someplace approching 30% total system. The aspect of this thats most interesting to me is expander eff. because it could be a major leap for steam engines.
Here's a quote from another fellow who has vistied with me and I have visited, he is very active in the steam engine community.
http://kimmelsteam.com
--- Quote ---Steam power is intrinsically inefficient because of the loss of heat used to boil water, to affect the phase change, because of the high latent heat of vaporization. When steam is condensed back into water, something necessary to do so it can be pumped back into the boiler to keep the process going, all of the latent heat of vaporization is lost. This is why there is a low thermodynamic efficiency intrinsic to a steam cycle. Needless to say many people have devoted much time to getting around basic laws of thermodynamics. It is not easy to do and a book can be written about the attempts. Davoud and Tinker and Jeremy Holmes have worked on re-using steam without condensing it.
--- End quote ---
The 4 cycle steam engine recompresses some of its exhaust steam, the only other engine design that does this is a Uniflow (Williams engine) however only a percentage of the exhaust stroke (usually no higher than 1/3rd) is compressed.
Intitally the goal was to make a working flashsteam engine, so that steam thats compressed contains the surplus of heat needed to flash injected water. The compressed steam is superheated before it re-enters the engine. Most conventional engine designs for steam engines are a 2 stroke configuration whereas this is not possible, the exeption being the uniflow which does this on its exaust stroke.
The other advantage to the 4 cycle steam engine is boiler control, since it uses a monotube type of arrangment basically a superheater. Traditionally the use of monotube boiler's is difficult.
Ken Helmick:
Besides the losses due to latent heat of vaporization, there is another factor to consider, by their nature external combustion engines just tend to be less efficient. This efficiency disadvantage has nothing to do with thermodynamic cycles and everything to do with plain old mechanics. External combustion, by definition, means the heat must flow through a wall of some material to reach the working fluid, thereby limiting peak working fluid temperature to something a bit less than the hottest temperature the wall can tolerate. IC engines can create temperatures well in excess of what the wall can tolerate just so long as the wall is cooled enough to prevent damage. Thus, the best steam or Stirling engine may have working fluid temperatures as high as 1200 F if the very best and most costly materials are used whereas an IC engine may run double that figure with a water cooled aluminum cylinder.
The upshot is that a simple EC cycle will probably not compete with a simple IC cycle on the basis of pure efficiency; the designer needs to look for an edge..or three. Such edges may include thermal recycling, use of lower cost alternate fuels and cogeneration.
Regards,
Ken
GreatBallofFire:
Congratulations on getting something built and running, that first step is one that most people never accomplish. On the other hand, just the phrase "superheated steam" makes me nervous. Unless its inside of a megawatt steam turbine, I want to be as far away as possible from anything running on superheated steam.
-Mark
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