[Gasification] engines

[Toby Seiler]

Kermit; 
   
  You recently mentioned the use of old  I.C. engines for making a steam engine.  I'm particularly fond of the ford 300 six, perhaps to drive a sawmill.   How would that engine be reconfigured as a steam engine?  Have you seen any modern, perhaps computer controlled valving or multi source head designs?  Are there good posts that one should know about for the subject, perhaps a steam engine list? 
   
  When you consider that most steam engines prefer dry steam (pressure), I ask myself why not use the rapid expansion of phase change to motivate the piston.  Inject superheated water that will expand 1600 times. Boiler explosions are dangerous, so it would make sense to close couple a gassifier and have only a small high pressure side in a gassifier/boiler/engine configuration. That doesn't sound complicated does it? 
   
  Concerning mobile applications, is the IC engine perhaps suitable for both combustion and steam... like a 3 plus 3 arrangement?  Energy stored as hot water could provide rapid response that the gas alone would not deliver.  This storage capacity is demonstrated well by the Stanley Steamer Automobile, it set a land speed record in 1907 of 127mph with no suspension.  I'm sure they crowded the 600 lb boilers upper limits as well as the 2 cylinder steam engines, but the point is, that hot water may make a good thermal battery.  Storage of rapidly available energy appears necessary for mobile application of gasification.
   
  Regards,   Toby Seiler  

 
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