[Gasification] engines

[gfwhell at aol.com]

Toby .
 
A couple of years ago my son brought home a "THING" he found on the side of
the road.
I took one look at it and said " That is a steam engine" I enclose pictures
of it. 
 
See: http://gasifiers.bioenergylists.org/whellsteamengine
 
Seems that an engineer had converted a small 4 cylinder block into a "double
action " steam engine,  complete with  Stevenson valve gear and water feed
pump, and probably left it to his widow to put out by the road.
I tested it with compressed air to conform my appraisal . 
The unit performed, at high speed both, forward and reverse with a twist of
the vise grips. 
To be honest . it had, sort of frozen up a little, but with  liberal
supplies of WD 40 and manual rotation, it ran  as described. (with
compressed air). 
I felt it would go like an Indy 500 on dry steam. 
But I didn't have any. 
So.
I put it in the Queue of future projects, and I've got plenty. Some of these
will be beside the road one day, I'm sure.
The Engine would still be there to this day, but,  for  my son in law, who
came visiting from England. He took one look at it and said, Just what I
need for a steam boat. I gave it to him, together with a suitable 3/4"
coiled flash steam generating heat I had added to the project. and just
happened to have. 
He crated it , and, it followed him home at considerable transportation
cost.
I have not heard any more of its' situation.
 
I did not disassemble it, but could see how it was constructed.
 A solid plate replaced the original gas engine cylinder head. Bronze bushes
had been pressed into a central hole above each piston. The original
existing pistons had been drilled and  tapped to except  threaded PIGGY
BACK" double action piston rods enclosed in cylinders, which were mounted
above the bushed plate, now forming part of the "CROSS HEAD" I believe the
original pistons were vented as they now only performed the duty of the
"slide" for each cross head.
 
At each end of the engine block a Stevenson linkage had been installed,
operated by eccentric cams. and
attached to the engine crank, the operation of these linkages,  moved a
slide valve controlling the admission and exhaust of "a pair "of cylinders.
The tandem operation of these two sets of slide valves, could be performed
at the twist of the vise grips. on the shaft connecting both sets of valves.
 
Some thought had gone into this conversion ,as the centrally  pumped
lubrication system of the original engine  still maintained lubrication to
the bottom end. It is usual to admit Steam oil together with the steam for
the lubrication of valves and pistons on slide valve steam engines.
You could say this was the Equivalent of a V8 steam engine, being  double
action? 
 
 
Regards 
 
 
Geoff
 
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: seilertechco at yahoo.com
To: kssustain at provide.net
Cc: gasification at listserv.repp.org
Sent: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 9:33 AM
Subject: [Gasification] engines


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