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Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
thinking about the Cap & Trade bill, i realize i may get ROBBED on the utility bill front if/when that thing becomes law.
but i have this secret source of combustible material, delivered by the postperson almost every day. does anybody know of some good steam engine set-ups ? here's Mike Brown's website for a start http://home.earthlink.net/~dlaw70/12stmng.htm \/ 20-Horsepower at 200 psig and 700 rpm http://www.mikebrownsolutions.com/20hp-a.jpg i guess you need a few things to get this off the ground - * combination furnace & boiler, to burn stuff & generate steam * enough engineering & common-sense background to know your limits viz a viz high-pressure steam * a way to scrub the smoke so the fire department & Carbon police don't end up at your front door. has anybody else investigated home-size steam generation for electricity ? |
Re: Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
I mess with steam from time to time. I have a 5hp climax engine. Steam engines are VERY labor intensive. Ya can't just fire up the boiler and walk away. Someone has to watch the boiler and engine as long as it's running. You have to keep the water level up and the engine lubed. If the water level gets to low and water is added too quick you get an explosion (this will kill you). If the water level gets too high you get "wet steam" and that locks up your cylinder. If you don't keep it lubed you get fried bearings. It's not practical for home use, even with the doubled electric bills coming soon.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> |
Re: Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
Sterling engines are the oldest engines.
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Re: Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
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is that anything like this http://www.glen-l.com/weblettr/weble...wl7steam2.html http://www.glen-l.com/weblettr/weble.../wl7steam2.jpg |
Re: Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
Nope , that is a two stage engine. Mine's a single cylinder engine. It's about 4' tall and built in the late 1890's. Here's a picture:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...7879/steam.jpg |
Re: Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
Dont want to hyjack your thread gundriller,but am very interested in the lasik-flap link on your handle.
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Re: Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
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about that single-cylinder engine - thanks a lot for the pic ! now i can't help but wonder what the pressure vessel for it looks like. you're right about safety. one of the reasons i'm interested in low-pressure steam. |
Re: Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
I've been toying with the idea of hooking up a turbocharger to a steam source. Would have to run an oil pump to lube the bearings. Even with lube, I'm not sure how the bearings would stand up to having load on the end of the shaft. Also not sure how the fins would hold up to steam in the long haul. If anyone has any experience with this, I'd like to get educated.
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Re: Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
Around here we have recycling drop off area's with different bins at most Superstore's in the parking lot area. You can get an almost inexhaustible supply of newspaper and scrap paper.
Don't know about steam engines but if you needed fuel for something this might work. |
Re: Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
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Re: Steam Engines - burn Junk Mail, get Electricity
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the second one looked like water boiling & bubbling in a clear tube. |
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